One Big Happy Family
by Angelamermaid
Summary: What happens when the Hunt and Shepherd families come together in marriage. Features Owen/Cristina, Meredith/Derek, other GA characters, and original characters. The first chapter fills in gaps from my story "Americans in Paris".
1. The Proposal

_December 26_

Mallory Hunt steps out of her shower and dries herself with a towel. She pulls on her favourite fluffy bathrobe then wraps her long red hair in a towel. She goes into her bedroom and stares at a very naked Rob Shepherd sleeping in her bed.

Christmas had always been her favourite holiday, and now it was extra-special. Rob showing up, all handsome and charming. Irresistibly sexy. Once she'd established that (a) he was single and (b) had no interest in her sister, she'd pounced. And he'd been willing. Very willing. Sex had suddenly become more extraordinary, more magical than she had ever experienced or imagined. It had been making love, and she craved more.

She frowns, remembering something he'd said before they'd made love one more time that morning. She shakes his shoulder.

"Wha?" Rob wakes up and blinks at the unfamiliar ceiling. He turns his head and sees her. His blue eyes light up, making her heart skip an extra beat. "Good morning!"

"What did you mean?" Mallory asks. "You're not leaving Paris without me?"

He smiles, running a hand through his tousled black hair. "I'll stay in Paris as long as you're here."

"And then what will you do?"

He rolls over, propping up his head on his hand. "And then I'll leave with you. To wherever you go next."

She blinks. "What?"

Rob snorts. "I'm sorry. Was this supposed to be a one-night stand? Did you not confess that you've had a crush on me since you were twelve? If just sex is what you wanted so long ago, you are far kinkier than I thought."

Mallory rolls her eyes. "_No_, that was _not_ my plan as a twelve year old. But...you want to go wherever I go? After one night?"

He nods. "I'm afraid so."

"That's crazy," she says.

"I'll tell you what's crazy," he says, extending his free hand. She takes it, and he pulls her down to sit beside him on her bed. "What's crazy is that I go to Hurricane Mallory's apartment last night, expecting to see my childhood buddy and score a free meal. And instead, there is this lovely, alluring, bewitching woman waiting for me. She's like, 'Oh by the way I have a crush on you, now kiss me. ' She ruthlessly seduces me; together we discover what making love is as opposed to just sex; I realize that she just belongs in my life; and I can't imagine a future without her in it. The really crazy thing is, she's surprised that I want to stick around."

"Huh," Mallory says. "That _is_ a surprise."

"I promise to hunt down and beat up every guy that has dumped you," he says, kissing her hand. "They've made you cynical about love."

"Oh, I always dumped my ex-boyfriends first," she says, absently.

"Really?" Rob chuckles. "May I ask why?"

She turns and looks at him. "I guess because they weren't you."

They look at each other for a long moment.

"You seriously can't imagine a future without me?" Mallory asks. "After one night?"

He laughs. "What are you surprised about?"

"That it worked!" Mallory exclaims. "That you actually wanted to kiss me and make out with me and then spend the night having lots of really great sex and now you can't imagine a future without me? This is unreal."

He smiles. "I'm going too fast. Got that. Okay, I can't imagine the next few months without you. When are you planning on leaving Paris?"

"My course ends in June," she says softly. "I'm going back to Seattle then. I have to see my family. Everything else is like I told you last night. I'm going to get a job so I can start building some experience, learn what it takes to run a business, then become fabulously successful running my own place. Maybe eventually own my own chain of eco-friendly cafes that serve nutrition, not crap, and be the most famous chef in the world."

"You are so Cristina Yang's daughter," he grins.

"Oh my god," she says. "Our parents! What are we going to tell them?"

"The truth," he teases her. "That we made mad passionate love for hours. That you've got freckles _everywhere_."

"I am serious!" Mallory protests. "I mean, my mom isn't going to be mad. She's known about my little crush on you for ages. All she said was to wait until I wasn't jailbait to make a move on you."

"You told your _mom_ that you had a crush on me?" Rob laughs.

"Oh, she figured it out. Apparently I looked at you like you were a pop star. Anyways, she's not the problem. My dad is."

"Oh crap," Rob says, sitting up and suddenly looking serious. "I slept with one of Owen Hunt's daughters without obtaining permission to even court her first."

"Exactly," Mallory sighs. "We can't tell him about the sex."

"But you are twenty years old."

"But he's _Dad_." Mallory sighs. "We'll tell him about the not imagining a life without me part first. Soften the blow."

"So we're back to the life thing? Not just until June?" Rob kisses her neck.

"Oh god." Mallory leans forward, rubbing her temples. "You have got to stop that. You're insane."

"I've never felt more sure of anything in my life," he murmurs, surprising himself with his honesty.

"And what about _your_ father?' She turns to face him. "He's been predicting you'll marry Chloe since she was born!"

"But he knows that I've never wanted to date her," Rob points out. "And you said that feeling was mutual."

"It is," she assures him. "I called her yesterday before you came over to make sure."

He blinks. "You did?"

"Of course! I figured you would turn out hot … which you did … so I made sure I wasn't going to break my sister's heart before … what did you say I did?"

"You ruthlessly seduced me," he reminds her, removing the towel from her head so that her damp hair tumbles down. "But checking with Chloe first makes you an honourable woman. Sort of."

She sighs.

"My dad is going to be thrilled that we're together," Rob assures her. "He likes being a family man, and our families are one big happy family unofficially. Once we get married -"

"_What?_" Mallory stands up and whirls around. "You are freaking me out!"

He smiles gently at her. "I'm sorry, Mallory. I'm very new to this 'wanting to spend my life with you thing,' and I'm going too fast again. I apologize."

She blinks at him. "Apology accepted." She stands there, looking confused.

"Is it okay if I spend the day with you?" Rob asks softly. "Can we plan that far in advance? Should we start with breakfast?"

She smiles. The kitchen is where she feels most in control. "Yes. I'm starving. How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled. But you don't have to make breakfast. We can just have leftovers."

Mallory snorts. "I don't do _leftovers_ for breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day."

He grins. "I forgot that I am speaking with the future most famous chef in the world."

"Exactly. You can go shower while I scramble up some breakfast."

* * *

Rob shakes his head as he enters Mallory's tiny kitchen. The table is set, and she's placing a bowl of fresh fruit on it. She's dressed in a plain sweater and jeans.

"I think I can get used to this," he smiles before giving her a quick kiss.

To his surprise, Mallory is quiet as they eat. She looks at him curiously but doesn't say anything, except to acknowledge his compliments to her cooking. He decides to not interrupt her thought process, although he's very curious to know what she's contemplating.

"Now what?" Rob asks, as he stands up to help her clear the table.

"You need a change of clothes," she says.

"I can run over to my hostel and change. Want to come with?"

She smiles softly. "Maybe you should just bring all of your stuff over."

"Really?" Rob doesn't try to hide his huge grin.

"It just makes sense," she shrugs. "Why pay for a hostel if we're both going to be in Paris until June?"

He puts down his dirty dishes and pulls her into his arms, kissing her. Laughing, she starts tugging his t-shirt out of his jeans.

* * *

A couple of hours later, they finally leave her apartment and start walking to the nearest subway station.

"So, what are you going to do until June?" Mallory asks, linking her arm through his.

"I'll find a job," he says. "Bartending, probably. My French really isn't good enough for any other kind of job. But you won't have to worry about feeding me. Although I hope you will feed me. With groceries that I'll help pay for."

"Deal," she giggles.

* * *

Mallory makes herself comfortable in the hostel lobby as Rob heads upstairs to gather his belongings. She looks around at all of the people around her before impulsively pulling out her phone. She quickly calls the one person that she trusts will not share her secret.

"Hi, sis," Chloe answers.

"Are you alone?" Mallory speaks furtively into the phone.

"Yes," Chloe replies. "Mom and Dad are at the hospital, and Diego is in the shower. What's up?"

Mallory sighs. "I am in so much trouble."

"What did you do now?"

"I ruthlessly seduced Rob," Mallory confesses, causing eyebrows to raise around her. "We made love all night, and it was fantastic. And now he's talking about spending the rest of his life with me! He's really freaking me out!"

Chloe shrieks with laughter.

"It's not funny!" Mallory protests. "He's crazy!"

"I'm sorry," Chloe laughs. "But it _is_ funny. Hurricane Mallory is in over her head!"

"Yeah," Mallory confesses with a smile. "It's just awful. Damn him."

Chloe chuckles. "So - you _don't_ want to spend the rest of your life with him?"

"That's the really crazy scary part," Mallory whispers. "I do. He's being weird with talking about forever and marriage, and it's scary; but I also really like it, and I don't know what to say or do. Other than we're at his hostel so he can get his stuff and move in with me."

She hears Chloe exhale. "Oh, Mallory. You are in deep, deep trouble."

"I know!" Mallory sighs.

"But it makes sense," her sister soothes. "Look at who our parents are. They're not exactly role models of restraint and taking things slow."

"That's true," Mallory giggles.

"And they met because of an ice storm and Mom's lack of scruples. It was fate. Maybe it was fate that Rob came to Paris?"

"Maybe," Mallory says softly. "It's not like I met Rob yesterday. I just met grownup Rob yesterday. And he's hot."

"I should hope so. Although again, not my type. I am happy for you."

"Thank you!" Mallory looks up to see Rob descending the stairs. "Okay, gotta go. Listen, don't say anything to anyone, okay? We really have to think about how we break the news to Dad."

"Smart," Chloe laughs.

* * *

It doesn't take Rob long to move in with Mallory. She makes room for his meagre belongings, and he gets his bags unpacked in less than thirty minutes.

They sit down on the bed next to each other.

"Now what?" Rob asks.

"It's past lunch time," she notes. "We could have leftovers. Or get naked."

"Leftovers second."

* * *

_December 27_

"Remind me again … who are we meeting?" Rob holds Mallory's hand as they walk down a street.

"My friends Annick and Bernard from school," she says.

"And what did you tell them about me?"

"That you're someone I know from Seattle, and you're sexy," she grins.

"So that's why you made me shower," he chuckles.

"Exactly." She points to a café. "Here we are."

To Rob's relief, Mallory's friends speak English. They greet him warmly and they sit down. Rob watches with amusement as Mallory orders for them in fluent French.

"Tell us about yourself," Bernard urges Rob. "How long have you known Mallory?"

"Since she was a baby," Rob smiles. "Our parents are best friends. I remember meeting her when she was a preemie in the hospital."

"She must have been a pretty baby," Annick notes. "I envy her hair."

"She looked like a tomato," Rob chuckles. "I was actually disappointed that she was a girl. I wanted Uncle Owen and Aunt Cristina to have a boy so I wouldn't be outnumbered."

Mallory shrugs and smiles. "Our sisters have been best friends since they were born," she informs the other couple. "They tend to stick together exclusively. And my brother is younger than all of us."

"And now you two are …?" Annick smiles slyly.

"We're … having fun together," Mallory grins, taking his hand. "Rob is going to stay in Paris and go back to Seattle with me in the summer."

"And then what will you do?" Bernard asks.

"I will find a job somewhere," Mallory says. "And …" She looks at Rob.

"I'll … find a job too, I guess." He smiles. "I'm an excellent bartender."

"Rob has been backpacking around the world for a while," Mallory tells her friends.

"Oh." Bernard smiles politely. "Your parents are okay with you 'having fun' with a bartender?"

"We have met her parents. Her mother is scary," Annick informs Rob, who laughs.

Mallory blushes. "We … haven't told our parents yet. We're … still figuring things out."

The other couple look intrigued.

"Annick, you're looking well," Mallory says, changing the subject.

"I have my new insulin pump," her friend notes, patting her side.

"Really?" Rob sits up. "Which model?"

Mallory notes her friends' surprise. "He has a pre-med degree," she tells them.

"Ah," Annick smiles. She launches into a discussion with Rob, who doesn't notice how closely Mallory is suddenly observing him.

* * *

Chloe looks up as her parents enter the house, both looking exhausted.

"Derek set you free?" Chloe quips, standing up to hang up their coats.

"We caught a break between ice storms and accidents," Owen yawns. "I'm going to bed."

"I'll be up soon!" Cristina smiles as he goes upstairs. She turns to Chloe. "He was so exhausted he let me drive us home while he slept. I love his four wheel drive."

"You must have gotten some sleep," Chloe notes. "You don't look quite like a zombie."

"I managed to get a few hours in here and there," Cristina shrugs. "How are you and Diego doing?"

"We're good," Chloe replies. "We know enough about cooking that we're not starving."

"I miss Mallory during the holidays," Cristina sighs. "She doesn't know when to stop cooking."

"I know."

"Speaking of Mallory … have you spoken with her lately?" Cristina asks innocently.

"I have," Chloe answers carefully. "She's fine."

Cristina drops all pretense of casual conversation. "How was her supper with Rob Shepherd?"

Her daughter smiles mysteriously. "It happened."

"What happened?"

"They had supper," Chloe grins.

"And?" Cristina stares at Chloe.

"And she didn't kill him with food poisoning."

Her mother purses her lips and regards her oldest daughter. "Chloe, you know and I know that Mallory's had a crush on Rob forever."

"That is true."

Cristina clears her throat. "I want to know if our Hurricane has finally done something about it and if I need to hurt Rob for breaking her heart?"

Chloe grins and says nothing. Cristina sighs. "You drive me crazy when you keep secrets."

Her daughter merely wiggles her eyebrows in response. Cristina takes note of the gleam in her eyes. "Chloe Hunt. Tell me what you know."

"Cristina Yang," her daughter replies. "I am her sister and am honour-bound not to reveal any secrets that have been entrusted to me. If there even is a secret."

"You would tell me if things were horribly wrong, right?" Cristina probes.

"If things were horribly wrong, Mallory would have been sobbing on the phone with you and Dad already," Chloe points out. "You would definitely know."

"Good point." Cristina regards Chloe. "God, I hate how stubborn you can be."

Her daughter laughs. "I learned from the best."

* * *

_December 28_

Mid-morning, Rob stumbles out of the bedroom and smiles when he spots Mallory concentrating on her laptop. He thinks that even her determined look is cute. He walks over and kisses her. "What are you looking at?"

"Medical schools," she replies. "What do you think your specialty is going to be?"

He stares at her. "What?"

She smiles. "I've been revising my plans for the next ten years. I thought I'd include you in them since you're so persistent."

He grins, feeling a wave of happiness. "Awesome."

"So I'm going to help you pick out a medical school," she informs him. "And in September, we'll move to wherever you're going to be studying."

"What?" Rob gapes at her. "Who said I'm going to med school in the fall?"

"I just did," she reminds him.

He starts pacing. "I … never … said … I wanted to go to medical school next year."

"I know," she smirks. "But as long as I've known you, you've wanted to be a doctor. And you have your pre-med degree. It's time, Rob."

"Why?" He flops down on the sofa.

"Because of my plan!" Mallory smiles patiently. "I'm going to work while you're in school, so I can get valuable experience, and we won't have to eat dog food. Then, when you're an intern and a resident, I'll start my own business. It's hard to predict what the economy will be like, so I'll have to be flexible on the timing. And by the time I'm established and you're done your fellowship, you'll be earning enough money for me to take a break and have a baby or two. That's the plan."

He stares at her. "Really. You've just planned this out without consulting me?"

"Do _you_ have a plan?"

"No," he admits. "I mean, yeah, I want to be a doctor someday …"

"Then _be_ one," she encourages him. "Look Rob … you've been kicking around the world for eighteen months now since you graduated. I'm sure it's been fun, and I hope you got a lot of valuable life experience." She leans closer. "You keep talking about forever and marriage. For your information … I'm not going to marry a bartender who _thinks_ he'll eventually settle down and go back to school. I need to know that I'm going to be taken care of when it's baby time."

"Oh." He sits down.

"Why haven't you gone back to school?" Mallory asks quietly.

"I wanted to travel and be on my own for once," he replies. "And everyone keeps expecting me to take my 'rightful place' in the family legacy. My father is Derek Shepherd. My mother is Meredith Grey. My grandmother was Ellis Grey. It's like I would have caused a family scandal by not going into medicine."

"Do you not like medicine?"

He smiles ruefully. "I love it. I loved that conversation I had with Annick about diabetes and insulin. Just between you and me, I actually don't see myself as a surgeon; I see myself being an endocrinologist or something internal."

"Not a surgeon!" Mallory grins. "You rebel, you."

"Shocking!" Rob laughs. "Well, look at you, you turned your back on medicine completely."

"No I didn't," she retorts. "Nutrition is a form of medicine, you know. Have you noticed me having any asthma problems while you've been here?"

"No …"

"That's because I have planned my diet around my asthma," Mallory smiles. "I know what triggers it now. And that's why I'm going to be an amazing chef. I care about healthy food that also happens to taste great."

"Ah." He blinks. "Will you marry a medical school student or do I have to get my MD first?"

Mallory grins. "I'm not walking down the aisle until you have an acceptance letter."

"Deal." He looks at her. She smiles.

A thought occurs to him. "Are - we engaged now?" Rob asks.

Mallory turns pale. "We can't be," she says. "It's too soon, and you didn't ask me properly and _oh my god you are crazy!_"

Rob laughs and jumps up, quickly gathering her in a hug. "What's your middle name?"

"I have two," she says, puzzled. "My full name is Mallory Helena Sun-Hi Hunt."

He lets go of her and drops to one knee, taking her hands in his. Her eyes widen. "It's too soon," she repeats, pulling her hands away and stepping back. "It doesn't feel right. I'm sorry."

Rob nods and stands up. He sees that she is frightened and yet regretful, and he resolves to be patient. "If you say it's too soon then it's too soon," he assures her.

"Really?" Mallory looks up at him, unsure. "So ..?"

"So we're not engaged," Rob says quietly, stroking her hair. "It's okay, Mal. I'm not going anywhere."

"This is crazy," she stammers. "You're crazy, and I'm crazy; and this whole thing is crazy."

"It's like we've been caught up in a hurricane of crazy," Rob muses. "I suppose you get that a lot."

She chuckles and leans against his chest. "What are you doing to me?"

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"You're being exactly the kind of guy I'd hoped you be and more," she sighs. "But I didn't plan on things going so quickly."

"I got news for you … life doesn't always go according to plan," he smiles, wrapping his arms around her. "I was thinking of going to South America next fall. But apparently I'm going to medical school."

* * *

_December 29_

Craving some fresh air, Rob leaves the apartment to explore Paris on his own. He walks along rivers, finally settling down on a bench to rest.

Rob sighs and looks at the river. He knows that the last few days have been extraordinary … and he doesn't regret anything. For the first time in a long time, he feels at peace with himself.

He buries his hands in his jacket pockets, watching an older couple walk by, arm-in-arm. He looks around … suddenly, all he can see are couples. Rob smiles ruefully.

His reverie is interrupted by the sound of his cell phone. He answers.

"Rob!" Mark Sloan's voice booms through the phone. "How is Paris?"

"Paris is great," Rob answers. "How is LA?"

"Smoggy and hot, same old," Mark replies. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I put some money in your account for Christmas. Sorry I forgot."

"It's okay, Mark. Thanks."

"It slipped my mind until your sister messaged me with some pretty strong hints," Mark chuckles. "I've - uh, well - Candi moved out last week so I haven't really been paying attention to things like I should."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"At least she signed a pre-nup, so it won't be a huge mess like my last divorce," Mark sighs. "Listen - we'd booked a couple of weeks in Monaco in late January, and obviously she's not going anywhere with me now, so why don't you make your way there, and we'll party together? My treat."

Rob raises his eyebrows. "Well … I'll see if I can."

"What? Since when aren't you available for a free vacation? I can buy you a plane ticket."

"It's not that." Rob chuckles. "I'm, um, seeing someone in Paris. She might not want me to party with you in Monaco."

"Really?" Mark sounds interested. "Some French girl's got you whipped?"

"I'm not whipped, and she's not French."

Mark pauses. "Who did your dad say was in Paris …" He laughs. "Oh tell me that you're _not_ seeing Mallory Hunt."

"What's wrong with Mallory?" Rob asks defensively.

"Mallory's cool," Mark assures him hastily. "I saw her last summer in Seattle. She grew up _hot_. But Rob - do you have any idea how protective her parents are?"

"I didn't mean to start dating her," Rob confesses. "And please don't call my girlfriend hot. Or tell me that you hit on her."

"Don't worry, I'd _never_ touch a Hunt girl," Mark laughs. "Owen would kill me, if Cristina didn't get to me first. Which is why you have got to be kidding me."

"The Hunts like me," Rob points out. "And I'm not you. I don't have a grandson that's older than her."

"That was low," the older man chuckles. "So they're okay with you dating their baby girl?"

"Well … they don't know yet," Rob confesses. "We're keeping it quiet for now while we sort things out."

"What's to sort out?"

Rob grins sheepishly. "I've moved in with her. And I want to propose to her but she's freaking out over that."

There is nothing but slight static on the phone.

"Mark? Are you still there?"

"What the hell is going on with you?" Mark asks incredulously. "How long have you been dating?"

"Since Christmas."

"Well," Mark searches for the right words. "So this isn't just sex?"

"It's not just the sex," Rob insists. "She's just … she's the one. She's been in front of me my whole life, and I didn't realize it until three days ago. She belongs in my life; and she has me wanting to do something with my life now, like going to medical school. And yeah, maybe I don't know everything about her yet, but I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know her. And if I want to spend the rest of my life with her, why not get engaged now?"

Mark laughs. "Oh, you got it bad, son. You got it _bad_."

"Please don't say anything to our parents," Rob pleads.

"You can count on me," Mark assures him. "So you really want to propose to her?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you have a ring?"

"We don't need a ring."

"Oh, yes, you do," Mark tells him. "I realize that I'm not exactly a role model, but I know this much: you need a ring. Tell me when you're ready, and I'll put some money in your emergency fund account."

"You don't have to."

"I want to," Mark tells him. "Look - you're a great kid, Rob, but you're kind of a slacker."

"_Thanks_."

"I can relate," Mark tells him. "It took me a long time to want to settle down and establish a life. You might say that I waited too long to learn how to be a good husband, since now I'm on my third divorce. So - good for you for finding The One and wanting to marry her and go to medical school. You've got a lot of obstacles in front of you. Let me help you out with the ring. That will be your first wedding present."

* * *

Chloe looks up from her book as Diego enters the living room and flops down on the couch. "I'm sick of all these ice storms," he says. "I'm sick of eating macaroni and cheese."

"So?"

"So I ordered a pizza," he says. "It will be here soon."

She puts down her book. "You're making a pizza delivery person drive in this weather? You think Mom and Dad don't have enough to do at the hospital right now?"

He rolls his eyes. "I ordered it from that new place one block over. They were happy to get some business."

"Teenagers," Chloe mutters, picking up her book again.

"Do you have cash?"

Chloe sighs and puts her book down. "You don't?"

"I ordered that vegetarian pizza you like," Diego grins. "Even though I hate it."

"You are so noble," she snickers, standing up. "We can use my emergency credit card."

The doorbell rings. Diego jumps up to open it while Chloe finds her purse.

"Thanks, man," the pizza delivery man says, quickly stepping in out of the snow. He looks at Chloe. "Hey, I know you."

"Mickey!" She smiles. "You were in my Chem class in Grade 11."

"Right … Cassie?" He looks sheepish.

"Chloe," she corrects him, handing him the credit card as Diego snatches away the pizza box.

"Right. Chloe Hunt. You were friends with that blonde girl … JoJo Shepherd."

"Still am," she smiles. "We're getting together for New Year's Eve, as a matter of fact."

Mickey looks Chloe up and down. "Really? Is your boyfriend going too?"

Diego grins and leaves the room, while Chloe starts to blush and stammer about not having a boyfriend.

* * *

_December 30_

Rob wakes up to find Mallory in bed next to him, watching him intensely.

"What?" Rob yawns. "Was I snoring?"

"Just a little," she smiles. "I was just … watching you sleep."

"Why?"

"It's starting to feel normal," she murmurs, snuggling beside him. "You. Me. Waking up together."

"Now can I propose marriage?" Rob asks.

She sits up and glares at him. "Why? Why are you talking about marriage?"

"I can't imagine a future without you," Rob smiles. "So why wait to get married?"

She blinks.

"Why wait?" Rob repeats.

She stares at him. And then shakes her head, as if waking up. "I can't get married without my family there," she says. "That's why."

"Good point," he concedes. "Your dad would kill me. Okay, we'll get married in the summer, when everyone can be there. Better?"

"Yes," she nods.

He beams, causing her to wag a finger at him.

"We are not engaged," she warns him."Too soon. We should wait, like four or five months first before you propose."

"So you're okay with us getting married in the summer but you don't want to be engaged yet?" Rob asks.

"I never said I was logical," she smiles ruefully.

"I know." He smiles. "I think I've got you figured out now."

"Do you?"

"Uh huh." He grins. "You don't like to go by anybody's rules, you like things your way. And when you find yourself in a situation where you're not in control, that's when you like to spout rules, like we should wait X number of months before getting married. You don't really believe in traditions that have been defined by somebody else, you're just trying to get control."

She blinks at him. "Oh."

Rob smiles and tilts his head at her.

"You do have me figured out," she says softly.

"And I haven't run screaming to Monte Carlo," he grins.

"We should -" she pauses and licks her lips. "We should do it when it feels right. And I really do think you should ask in a proper way. With a ring."

* * *

The sound of the phone wakes Mark Sloan up. Sighing, he grabs it off of his nightstand and checks the caller ID. Grimacing, he answers. "Do you need money, a lawyer, or money for a lawyer?"

"Money."

"What for?"

Rob grins. "A ring."

"Okay."

* * *

_December 31_

"I love Paris," Mallory sighs as they stroll arm-in-arm down a side street. "We'll have to bring our kids here someday."

"Agreed."

"You're okay with having kids?"

"Yep," he says. "I want at least one redhead, by the way. We'll just have to keep trying until we get one."

Mallory pokes him in the side. "Easy for you to say; you won't be the pregnant one."

"True." They walk along.

"So … when do you think we should tell our parents?" Rob asks. "They're going to find out sooner or later that we're dating."

"When it feels right," she replies absently. She stops and looks at the sky. "It's snowing again. I love it when it snows in Paris."

He smiles, watching her tilt her head back and open her mouth, trying to catch a snowflake with her tongue.

"I love you," he says softly.

Mallory closes her mouth and smiles at him, eyes sparkling. "Hey, that's the first time you've said that."

"It's true," he chuckles, taking her hands.

She kisses him and then laughs. "It's New Year's Eve!"

"That is also true."

"You don't get it!" Mallory smiles brightly. "Eight years ago, on New Year's Eve, I started to fall in love with you."

"Really?"

She nods and smiles. "My parents were having a party, and I was sitting on the stairs with Diego; and you came along just before midnight. And you very sweetly said you wanted to kiss the prettiest girl at the party, and you kissed my cheek. Right here." She points to her left cheek.

"I did?"

"Just like a Prince Charming," she murmurs.

"I'm no prince," he warns her, threading his hand in her copper hair. "I'm a slacker, bartender, and future medical student."

"But you are charming," she purrs. "And I love you."

"Good. You're stuck with me."

"Good." She looks over his shoulder and her eyes light up.

"I want to go into that shop," she says, pointing to an antique shop. "I need to get something for my grandmother's birthday."

"And I want a cup of coffee," Rob says, pointing to a café.

"Then come find me in the shop after your coffee."

"Okay."

* * *

Rob checks his phone and bank account while having his coffee. When he's done, he meanders over to the antique shop. He walks in, seeing Mallory's brilliant copper hair by the jewellery counter. He walks over.

She's staring at a tray on the counter as an older woman speaks with her in French. Rob notices that the tray contains rings.

"Find something you like?" Rob asks from behind, making her jump. "Sorry."

The clerk smiles politely and steps back.

"Um, yes," Mallory stammers, looking down.

"Which one?"

She glances up at him. "I didn't find something for my grandmother…"

He watches her face slowly turn red. "Oh." He feels time stand still. "I see."

She nods and looks at the tray.

Rob puts his arms around her. "Which one do you like?"

"See if you can guess."

"What?" Rob chuckles.

"See if you can guess," she repeats, gesturing to the tray.

"Is this some sort of compatibility test?" Rob asks.

"Uh huh."

"Okay." He lets go of her and moves closer to the tray. He stares at the rings, trying to determine how to handle this. "I'm going to guess that you don't like any of the rings with the large stones. They would look huge on your little hands, and would get in the way of food preparation."

She dimples. "True."

He points to a simple band. "Now this one is a little too plain. I don't think you'd like a plain ring. That would be boring. And Hurricane Mallory is far from boring."

She arches an amused eyebrow. "Indeed."

"Hmmm. That leaves four - no, five rings." He carefully considers the rings. Three have ornate designs etched into them, none of which appeal to him. The other two have small diamonds.

He looks at Mallory's earrings. They are small, and they sparkle.

Rob looks again at the two remaining rings. He reaches out, letting his hand linger near the more sparkly ring. Her eyes gleam. He picks it up. "This one."

She smiles then, brilliantly.

"So you...would like to have this ring?" Rob asks carefully.

"Mm-hmm," she nods, shyly. "It, um, fits."

"I see." He looks at the price tag - and suddenly feels very grateful that Mark Sloan had insisted on giving him money.

"Maybe - maybe we could put it on layaway?" Mallory quietly suggests. "I'm very good at stretching a Euro, and you're going to get a job -"

Rob holds up a hand. "It's taken care of."

"What?"

"Um, I talked with Mark Sloan a couple of days ago. I told him about us," he confesses.

"You … you told him?"

"He promised he wouldn't say anything," Rob assures her. "I … told him you were the one, and he insisted on giving me money for a ring. And he gave me enough. It's sitting in my emergency account."

"Really?" Mallory looks delighted. "So … we could get the ring today?"

"We could." He looks at her. "But if we get the ring today, I'm going to ask the question today. You need to tell me if it's too soon."

She smiles quietly. "I think I'm ready now."

"Okay." They grin at each other.

Rob coughs. "Why don't you go wait outside? Have some coffee or something."

"Okay." She smiles shyly again and then leaves.

Mallory sees a small park across the street and walks over. She sits on a bench as snow falls gently around her. She tilts her head back and watches the snowflakes. They land on her face.

Rob's face appears above hers. She grins at him. He bends over her and presses his lips to hers. "I have something for you," he whispers.

"Do you now?" She smiles against his face and closes her eyes.

He runs a finger against her lips before speaking. "Mallory Helena Sun-Hi Hunt."

"Uh huh?"

"Look at me, Mal."

She opens her eyes and looks at him. His blue eyes are warm and amused. "Hey, want to do something crazy this summer?"

"Like what?"

He smiles. "Like - will you marry me?"

"Yes," she grins.

He takes her left hand and slides the ring onto her finger then kisses her hand. She smiles and grabs his face, pulling him into a kiss. The snow falls gently on them as they start to make out, stopping only when passers-by start to whistle.

"Now what?" Rob asks.

"We should probably call our parents," Mallory grins. "Now that we've sorted everything out."

"They might want to know we're engaged, yes," he agrees. "I think my father will be happy that I'm marrying _a_ Hunt."

"And my dad will … hopefully accept that you didn't ask permission first," she laughs, standing up.

"Just don't start with the sex," he says, taking her hand.

"Why not? We did."

"What have I done?" Rob laughs, as Mallory grabs his hand and starts pulling him along.

"You have no idea of what you're in for," she promises him, with a grin.

_Author's note - to be continued! If you haven't read my story "Americans in Paris" yet, you should, if you want to know how the parents react._ :-)


	2. The Families

_December 31_

Snow is falling lightly as Meredith and JoJo Shepherd approach Cristina and Owen's house. Cristina flings open the front door.

"Happy New Year!" Meredith says, holding up a bottle.

"Happy New Year!" Cristina grabs the bottle and ushers her guests in. "Ah good. I just discovered that we had no rum." She raises an eyebrow as JoJo removes her coat, revealing a skimpy aqua dress.

"What?" JoJo brushes her tangled blonde hair out of her eyes.

"I hate to sound like a mom, but you're going to get cold wearing that," Cristina smirks. "Chloe is upstairs, trying to decide what to wear."

"Then I'll go rescue her," JoJo smoothly replies, walking towards the stairs.

The older women share an amused look. "Owen got paged by your husband," Cristina informs Meredith. "So it's just the two of us getting drunk."

"More rum for the both of us," Meredith laughs. "Where is Diego?"

"Sleeping over at his friend's house, so we can crank up the music and pass out on the couch."

"Excellent." Meredith smiles knowingly at Cristina. "So ….?"

"So we're going to be in-laws," Cristina notes, leading the way to the kitchen. "How about that?"

"How do we feel about that?"

"I am totally fine with your son marrying my daughter," Cristina says, pulling out glasses. "Owen is, too. We like Rob. How do you feel?"

"You know that we adore Mallory," her friend smiles. "She's like you, only charming."

"_Thanks_."

Meredith laughs. "Best of all is the news that she's persuaded Rob to go to medical school. Tomorrow, I'm going to start looking at scholarships and schools. We don't have a lot of time to get Rob into someplace good. Want to help?'

"I'd love to."

Cristina hands her a drink, and holds up her own glass in a toast. "Here's to our kids getting hitched, and Rob getting into the best medical school."

"Here, here." They clink glasses and drink.

* * *

Upstairs, JoJo sighs with exasperation as Chloe holds up two different outfits. "That one is boring, and that one is virginal."

Chloe raises her eyebrows. "Fine. You pick something out."

JoJo paws through Chloe's closet. "Do you seriously not have anything to wear to a club?"

"I have some things in my dorm room," Chloe says defensively. "I just didn't think to bring them home for the holidays."

"We're raiding Mallory's closet," the blonde girl declares, leaving the room.

Chloe follows her. "Mallory is shorter and thinner than me. She's not going to have anything I can wear."

"Correction – she's not going to have anything you want to wear. Because she doesn't dress like a librarian. Which is why you need to wear something of hers. Who is this guy we're meeting up with, again?"

"Mickey Dupuis from high school," Chloe reminds her. "He's a senior at the U of W. Engineering major."

"Sounds boring." JoJo deftly searches through Mallory's closet. She pulls out a red halter top and shoves it at Chloe. "Try this on. It's stretchy and it will go with your black skirt."

Chloe looks at it doubtfully.

"Do you want to look hot tonight, or do you want to look like a nun?" JoJo asks.

"Hot, I guess." Chloe says. She closes the door to Mallory's room and pulls off her t-shirt. "So … Rob and Mallory, huh?"

JoJo smirks. "Mallory is _so_ pregnant. Why else would they get engaged so quickly?"

"JoJo!" Chloe frowns. "They've only been dating since Christmas."

"Then it's not Rob's." JoJo laughs at Chloe's shocked expression. "Oh come on. Like you didn't think that."

"I didn't," Chloe insists, pulling on the top. "My sister would never do that to Rob."

"Well, there must be some reason why they'd get engaged so fast," JoJo mutters, helping Chloe adjust the shirt. "And usually a baby is the reason why."

"Maybe they just fell in love really quickly," Chloe retorts. "Mallory has had a crush on Rob for ages."

"She has?"

"Uh huh. You never noticed?"

JoJo snorts. "No offense, but I don't pay much attention to Mallory. She's such a drama queen, she always wants to be the centre of attention."

Chloe shrugs and looks at herself in a mirror. "Don't you think this is …?"

"Sexy," JoJo enthuses. "You know, you have a nice body under your nerd wear. Give me ten minutes, I'll do your hair and your make-up. This Mikey guy won't be able to take his eyes off of you."

"Mickey."

"Whatever."

* * *

Cristina and Meredith look up as JoJo comes downstairs, fluffing her blonde hair. "Come on, Chloe," she calls over her shoulder.

"Coming." Chloe sheepishly follows her, wearing Mallory's red halter top and a short black skirt. Her black hair frames her face in curly waves, and her brown eyes have been lined with smoky make-up.

"Oh my." Meredith puts down her glass. "Chloe, you are stunning."

"That's my work," JoJo smirks.

"You look amazing," Cristina tells her daughter.

"I feel naked," Chloe blushes, tugging at the straps of her top.

"Okay, your dad is at the hospital, so I'm going to be him," Cristina informs Chloe. She coughs and rubs a pretend beard. "Who is the designated driver?"

"I am," JoJo says. "Since it is Chloe's birthday at midnight."

"Do you have your cell phone in case you need a ride and is it charged?" Cristina continues.

"I do and it is." Chloe holds up her small purse. "And I have my ID and money for a cab."

Cristina looks thoughtful. "What am I forgetting?"

"Never accept a drink from a stranger and always keep an eye on my drink so that nobody puts anything in it," Chloe grins. "Don't get so drunk that I forget my self-defence training. Don't go home with a stranger."

"Study hard and don't get knocked up," JoJo says snidely. "Keys?"

Meredith hands her keys to her daughter and kisses her cheek. "Have fun, girls. And _don't_ get knocked up."

* * *

"Your date had better be here," JoJo mutters as they approach the club. "We don't want to wait outside too long, before the club fills up."

"He just texted me," Chloe says, looking at her phone. "And I see him." They walk towards the brown-haired man waiting for them.

Mickey stares at Chloe in open admiration. "You did _not_ look like that yesterday."

"Let me guess, her hair was in a ponytail and she didn't have make-up on?" JoJo grins, as Chloe blushes.

"Yeah," Mickey says. "And she was wearing sweatpants."

"Okay, okay," Chloe laughs. "Mickey, this is JoJo. JoJo, this is Mickey. He was in my graduation class in high school."

"Only because Brainiac here skipped a grade," JoJo smirks, shaking Mickey's hand.

"I remember you," he says to JoJo. "We were in detention a couple of times together."

"Ha!" JoJo laughs. "Well, I'm glad you appreciate my handiwork," she says, pointing to Chloe. "I practically had to sit on her to put some make-up on her tonight."

"Good job," he smiles, his eyes going back to Chloe. "Let's go in, before the club fills up."

With one smile from JoJo, the bouncer lets them into the club ahead of the people waiting in line.

"JoJo!" Two blonde men immediately flank her as they leave the coat check area.

"See you!" She smiles sweetly, before letting the men lead her to the bar.

"Isn't she your ride?" Mickey asks.

Chloe shrugs. "I have money for a cab. She does this all the time."

"Okay." He looks Chloe up and down again. "So I can buy you a drink?"

"You can," she smiles.

_January 1_

Owen pulls into the driveway as Meredith stumbles out of his house, blinking at the daylight.

"Happy New Year," he grins. "Need a ride home?"

She shakes her head. "I called a cab … and there it is."

"Okay." Owen enters the house and pulls off his coat.

"Have some compassion for the hungover," comes a tired voice from the living room. "Keep the noise down."

"And Happy New Year to you too," he chuckles, walking over to greet the woman stretched out on the couch. "Good night?"

"Yes. You?"

"Long night, lots of organ donors," he sighs, before kissing her.

"Good morning," Chloe chirps, coming downstairs, dressed for a jog.

"Happy Birthday," Cristina moans.

"Happy Birthday!" Owen turns and kisses her on the cheek. "Did you find your card?"

"I did, thanks. How's the head, Mom?"

"Ugh." Cristina opens her eyes and stares up at her daughter, who is smiling knowingly. "Why aren't _you_ hungover?"

"I didn't drink much," Chloe replies. "I wanted to be sober enough to catch a cab home last night."

Cristina frowns. "Wasn't JoJo the designated driver?"

"As soon as we walked into the bar, two guys she knew were buying her drinks and she 'couldn't refuse'," Chloe shrugs.

Cristina sighs. "Chloe, you're 22 now. Live a little."

Owen regards his daughter thoughtfully. "What about the pizza guy?"

"He wanted to drink too," Chloe replies. "You know that I don't like to get drunk, it's okay."

"That's not my point," he sighs. "You were excited that you were going out, JoJo bailed on being the driver and your date didn't offer to be the driver on the night before your birthday?"

"I didn't tell him it was going to be my birthday on a first date," Chloe says, looking down. Owen and Cristina exchange a look. She sighs. "So hey, Mallory's engaged!"

"Are you okay with it?" Owen asks Chloe. "Mallory getting married first, I mean … I know you were never into Rob despite Derek's constant nagging."

"Of course, Dad. I've got Harvard medical school next fall - why would _I_ want to be married now?"

Cristina nods approvingly. "That's our future surgical genius."

"And what does the World's Most Protective Father think of this?" Chloe looks at her father.

"I'm surprised, but okay," Owen chuckles. "I've always liked Rob. He needs someone to guide him along and he certainly will get that. I just wish someone had told me that Mallory had a crush on him."

"Chloe and I were sworn to secrecy years ago," Cristina says. "I'm not surprised at all that Mallory wants to marry Rob so quickly."

Chloe starts stretching. "I can understand them getting engaged quickly, but I don't understand why they want to get married this summer. She's only 20. She isn't a Culinary Goddess yet."

Cristina shrugs. "She's an adult. We raised all of you to go after what you want. And what Mallory wants is Rob. Being married isn't going to stop our Hurricane from her career."

"What if what she wants is to have a baby right away?" Chloe grins. "Mallory _loves_ children. You could be grandparents in a couple of years."

Cristina stares at her. "I did not think of that. You are an evil, evil child." She turns to Owen, who is laughing. "This isn't funny."

"Yes it is," he snorts. "Come on. Don't you want some grandchildren? Another generation of surgical geniuses?"

"In ten years," Cristina scowls. "Wait … fifteen. We need to talk to Mallory about this. She's too young to become a mother. I am too young to be a grandmother."

"But she's an adult now, remember?" Chloe smirks.

Cristina moans and rubs her forehead. "Chloe, I am too hungover for this. Stop being so damn clever."

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not," Chloe laughs. She looks at her father. "Seriously, Dad. I thought _you_ would have been flying off to Paris as soon as you heard they were living together."

Owen stares at her, mouth falling open in shock. Chloe feels a sudden sense of dread. She blushes as she begins to stammer. "I mean … she did tell you _that_ … right?"

"Since when?" Owen demands.

"Since when what?" Chloe manages, before looking at her watch. "I'm going to go for my run now …"

"Chloe Hunt," Owen says firmly, holding up a hand. "How long has your sister been living with Rob?"

Cristina grins as Chloe winces. "Dad … I didn't know that you didn't know …"

He looks directly at her. "I repeat. How long has your sister been living with Rob?"

Chloe tries to look away from her father's glare, but fails. She sighs. "Since December 26th."

"And where are they living?" Owen probes.

"In her apartment," Chloe admits.

Owen frowns. "He is living in the apartment that I am paying for and he doesn't have a job?"

* * *

Meredith walks into her house, intent on finding some pain relief. She raises her eyebrows at the clothing strewn in the living room.

"Stupid strays," she mutters, following the clothing. "Oh wait." She kicks at a black lace bra outside of JoJo's room. She knocks on the door.

"What?" JoJo murmurs from inside of her room.

Meredith opens the bedroom door … and shakes her head in disbelief. JoJo is lying face down on her bed, wrapped up in a blanket.

"Good morning, JoJo," Meredith says loudly. "How are we feeling?"

"Mom!" Her daughter flips over, covering her eyes with a hand. "Do you mind?"

"I mind!" Meredith sighs, looking around her. "I mind coming home and finding your clothes out in the hall. Especially your bra and panties."

"Sorry," her daughter mutters, running her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Pick up your clothes," Meredith says curtly. "And where is my car?"

"Probably still downtown," JoJo yawns, sitting up, clutching the blanket to her. "I didn't drive it home, too drunk."

"Weren't you the designated driver?"

"These guys I knew were at the club," JoJo explains. "They insisted on buying me drinks. Chloe had cab money like she always does."

"It was her birthday!"

"She never wants to get drunk," JoJo counters. "She doesn't have a problem with taking a cab, so why do you have a problem with it?"

"I … am concerned about you," Meredith says gently. "You've been partying all Christmas break."

Her daughter sighs. "Here we go. The alcohol awareness speech. Again. When you're looking hungover too."

"My clothes are in my room!" Meredith points out. "And I didn't bail on being the designated driver."

JoJo rolls her eyes. "Bet you wish Chloe was your daughter, huh?"

"What?" Meredith frowns. "Why would you say that?"

"Because she doesn't leave her underwear on the floor," JoJo explains. "She puts her dirty laundry in the hamper like a good girl should."

Meredith sits down next to her daughter, watching her closely. "What happened last night?"

"We went to the club, she hung out with this boring guy, and I had fun," JoJo replies, blinking slowly.

"What is going on with you and Chloe?" Meredith persists.

JoJo shrugs. "I really don't have a lot in common with her anymore, okay? We go to different schools. We have different ideas of what having fun is. She likes to study, I like to interact with living breathing human beings. She's an honors student, I'm barely getting by."

"That is not Chloe's fault," Meredith chides. "You could learn from her-"

"There it is," JoJo says, snapping her fingers. "You want me to be Chloe, not me."

"I do not!"

"Do too," JoJo scowls. She stands up. "I'll get dressed and find a ride and I'll go find your car, okay?"

Meredith stands, placing a hand on her daughter's arm. "I'm sorry, JoJo. I don't mean to compare the two of you and I didn't realize that it bothers you."

Her daughter grins. "At least I didn't get engaged after six days of dating."

"And I thank you for that," Meredith laughs. "I don't think we can take too many more surprises."

The front door bangs open and they hear Derek's greeting. "Happy New Year!" He strides into the room and his smiles fades when he sees the scene before him.

"Yeah yeah, she already disapproved," JoJo mutters, as she haughtily tightens the blanket around her.

"We'll just give her some privacy," Meredith says, hustling Derek out of the bedroom and closing the door.

"Well!" Derek smiles at Meredith. "The new year is off to a great start!"

"Indeed." Meredith smiles back, before kissing him. "What do you say we have some brunch and then start looking up scholarships? Our son is ready to be a doctor!"

"I take it you don't want to help arrange the wedding?"

Meredith snorts. "The kids can arrange it. Cristina and I have worked it out. They will pay the bulk of the wedding costs, since we're going to be helping with tuition and housing costs."

"Ah, good." Derek pulls out his phone as it starts to ring. "Hey Owen." He blinks. "Wait … what?"

_January 2 _

"Hey," Mallory grins, as Rob walks in the door. "I missed you!" She runs over to him and kisses him. "You were gone for five whole hours!"

"I missed you too," he smiles. "But I got a job. Tending bar at this really cool club. A lot of tourists go there and I know enough French to get by."

She pauses. "You're not going to be working nights, are you?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'm in school during the day," she protests. "When are we going to see each other?"

He shrugs. "It's just for a few months."

Mallory steps back and folds her arms, her lower lip sticking out.

"Let me earn some money there and improve my French, then I'll find another job," he sighs. "I don't know the language well enough to get hired anywhere I want."

"Okay," she smiles. "What shall we do to celebrate your new job?"

"I know what I want to do," he grins, pulling her close. "I want to try counting your freckles again. I only got as far as thirty-five this morning …"

She giggles as he starts nuzzling her cleavage. "I'm telling you, I have too many to count."

"Don't interrupt!" He undoes a button on her blouse. "There's one freckle, there's two, three, four …"

She sighs happily as Rob bends her over, until she's lying on the kitchen table. He slides one hand up her right thigh, under her skirt, as his tongue starts flicking between her breasts.

Someone pounds on the apartment door, startling them.

"Who is it?" Mallory calls out.

"Your parents," Owen loudly announces.

"All four of us!" Meredith shouts through the door.

Mallory and Rob stare at each other in a panic. She hastily sits up, knocking her forehead against his. "Ow!"

"Hello!" Derek cheerfully calls out.

Rob helps Mallory slide off of the table. He pulls down her skirt while she rebuttons her blouse. She beams brightly and opens the door. "Dad! Mom!"

"Hi!" Owen grins. He reaches out and pulls Mallory into a big hug, while Meredith hugs Rob.

"This is a great surprise," Mallory smiles as her mother hugs her. "Come on in!"

All four parents enter the apartment, Meredith and Derek looking around with interest.

"Don't worry, we're staying at a hotel," Derek tells Rob. "They said this was a small apartment."

"You!" Owen points at Rob. "We need to talk."

"Yes sir," Rob says, standing very straight. "Okay, I know I should have –"

"Are you really living here?" Owen asks quietly.

"It was my idea-" Mallory starts. Her mother shushes her.

"I got a job today," Rob stammers. "So I can help out with expenses. And I've been doing all of the laundry and cleaning, I make the bed and I wash the dishes so all she has to do is cook because she hates to clean. Which you know. Sir."

Owen folds his arms across his chest and regards Rob solemnly.

The younger man swallows. "I promise to always treat her like a queen and I will never break her heart and I know I should have asked permission to date her first before I even kissed her, but she is Hurricane Mallory and I didn't exactly have _time_ …"

"It's my fault," Mallory meekly admits. "I ruthlessly … wined and dined Rob at Christmas and confessed that I've had a crush on him for eight years and kissed him before he had a chance to call you, Dad."

"I knew it," Meredith says coolly, eyeing Mallory. "I knew that my son wouldn't hit on the daughter of his parents' best friends without being given some encouragement."

"I'm sorry?" Mallory winces.

Owen arches a menacing eyebrow and Rob feels his blood turn cold.

Derek laughs. "Owen! Stop scaring him!"

Owen grins widely and holds out his right hand to Rob. "Okay then."

"Huh?" Rob looks to his parents, who are laughing along with Cristina.

"Don't let Owen psych you out," Derek tells Rob. "He's not really mad, he's already looking forward to grandchildren. FYI, he wants at least one with black hair."

"You can marry her," Owen informs Rob with a grin, hand still extended.

A relieved Rob shakes his hand.

"Take your time on the grandchildren," Cristina says.

Mallory looks at Meredith, uncertain. "Er…."

"I can overlook you derailing my son from his career path as a bartender," Meredith says with a wink. "You make sure he becomes a doctor, okay?"

"Okay," Mallory grins.

Owen turns at Mallory. "All right, kiddo. Let's see the ring."

She obediently holds out her left hand. The parents quickly step forward to examine it, looking impressed.

"Do I want to know how you could afford this?" Derek asks.

"Oh, Mark gave me the money," Rob says. "He said it was our first wedding present …" His voice trails off as all four parents stare at him, while Mallory vigorously shakes her head, eyes wide.

"Mark Sloan?" Derek asks in a low voice. "_Mark_ knew that you were getting married before we did?"

"Okay first he only knew that we were dating …" Rob says helplessly.

"Start from the beginning," Meredith says coolly.

"Okay!" Rob smiles sheepishly. "He called to invite me to Monaco at the end of January and I said that I wasn't sure if I could, you know, I had to check with Mallory first."

Mallory beams as Cristina and Owen nod approvingly.

"And I told him that it was serious between us and Mallory is The One, and I wanted to propose and he said I needed a ring," Rob explains. "So when Mallory said I had to propose with a ring, he gave me the money for a ring."

"It is a nice ring," Meredith says, holding up Mallory's hand for a better look.

Rob turns to his father. "I'm sorry that Mark knew before you. I didn't plan it that way."

Derek smiles and shakes his head. "Hey, Mark turned out to be good for something. Who knew?"

"Now what?" Mallory looks at everyone cautiously. "Did you really fly over here just to scare Rob and to see the ring?"

"Now, we eat," Cristina declares. "Show us to a restaurant where we can get something better than airline food."

"I flew over so we can talk about what schools you're going to apply to," Meredith advises her son. "We've come up with a list that we want to discuss with you."

"That's it?" Rob asks.

Owen grins and grips Rob's shoulder. "That's it. Just keep your vow to treat her like a queen and I won't kick your ass."

Rob smiles weakly. "Okay."

"Supper is on me!" Derek announces. "Let's go, I'm starving."

"Who told you that we were living together?" Mallory asks, as Rob gets her coat from the closet.

"Chloe crumbled under Owen's interrogation yesterday," Cristina informs her. "She kept your secrets as long as she could."

"Wait." Derek holds up a hand. "Did Chloe know about you two before any of us?"

"Even before Mark!" Mallory says brightly. "I had to tell _somebody_, and I knew that she wouldn't hop on a plane to scare us."

"Touché," Derek laughs.

* * *

After they've ordered their meal at the restaurant, Derek holds up his glass of wine. "To becoming one big happy family." Everyone smiles and raises their glass for the toast.

"Okay, which topic do we want to start with?" Derek asks. "The wedding, medical school, grandchildren?"

Mallory shakes her head. "No grandchildren for at least 6-8 years. That is something we'll take our time on."

"Good," Cristina approves.

"Your mother is too young to be a grandmother," Owen informs his daughter. "By the way, how many children are in your master plan?"

"I don't know," she shrugs. "I don't plan out everything, Dad."

"We're going to keep going until we have a redhead," Rob smiles.

"Are you taking requests?" Derek asks. "I'd like a blonde grand-daughter with split ends."

"No requests!" Mallory protests. "We will take what fate hands us. No matter what the hair colour or gender is."

"Okay, let's talk about the wedding," Derek says. "You still want to get married in the summer?"

"Uh huh," Rob replies, taking Mallory's hand. "We want something small. But not too small. At least a two Post-It note wedding."

His parents smile.

"Two Post-It notes sounds affordable," Owen muses. "Hell, make it three."

"Four?" Mallory smiles sweetly at her father. "Please?"

"Oh oh," Cristina chortles, elbowing her husband. "We'll go as high as five. Since Chloe probably won't find time to get married until she's done her fellowships."

"Speaking of Chloe," Meredith enquires. "How did her date go?"

"Date?" Mallory perks up. "What date?"

"Chloe went out on New Year's Eve with this guy she knows from high school," Cristina explains. "Mickey Dupuis."

"Don't know him. Did he pass inspection?" Mallory asks Owen.

"I haven't met him yet," her father informs her. "But I do know that he got drunk and she had to take a cab home by herself. Strike one."

"Mom?"

Cristina shrugs. "I didn't meet him. She seems to think she had a good time."

Rob looks thoughtful. "The name sounds familiar…"

"I'll call her and get the details," Mallory promises her father. "I'll have a full report by noon tomorrow."

"Sure," he chuckles. "Since you're _so good_ at sharing details lately. Like who you're dating. And living with."

"Six days!" Mallory protests. "We only kept things secret for six days."

"Back to business," Meredith says, pulling out sheets of paper. "Rob, we need to talk about medical school."

"And so it starts," Rob mutters to Mallory, who grins at him.

"How long are you going to be in Paris?" Rob asks his parents, as they leave the restaurant.

"We leave tomorrow evening," Derek replies. "The hospital isn't going to run itself."

"You came all this way for two days?"

"We had to see you after your big news," Meredith says, squeezing his arm. "Plus, we wanted to make sure that Owen didn't kill you."

Rob looks at Owen, walking ahead of them with Mallory and Cristina. "He's really not mad?"

"He _likes_ you," Meredith assures him. "He was unhappy when he found out that you were living with her without a job, but you got a job before he could yell at you."

"And we're going to pay your half of the rent on the apartment," Derek informs Rob. "You need to save your money for school."

"Speaking of school, you really need to submit your applications as soon as possible," Meredith counsels. "I've already got letters of recommendation in the works."

Rob looks sideways at her. "Yeah, I'll take care of it."

"What?" She frowns at him.

"Are we too happy about you going to medical school?" Derek chuckles.

"Yes," Rob sighs. "I knew I'd go back someday, and I will. I miss medicine. But … Mallory is more important right now."

"Ah," Derek smiles, clapping his son on the back. "I forgot what it's like to be young and in love."

"And when the honeymoon glow wears off, you'll be in medical school!" Meredith laughs.

* * *

"Well? Mallory looks at her parents as they walk towards her apartment building.

"I meant it. He can marry you," Owen smiles.

"Like I'm some sort of chattel," Mallory sighs. "Dad, when are you going to knock off this protective father crap?"

"On your 100th birthday," he grins. "I'll give it a rest then."

"Dad!"

"It's not like I'm demanding that the Shepherds pay me a bride price of ten goats first," Owen laughs. "I just want to know that my children will be treated right. I see that Rob is taking care of you and is crazy about you and that makes me happy. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Give it up," Cristina advises her daughter. "He did pay for you to go to Paris for your education. And Owen, I think Mallory is worth at least twenty goats."

"Aw!" Mallory laughs. "Okay, what do we know about this Mickey guy?"

"He's an engineering major and he delivers pizza," Cristina reports. "Diego says he drives a beat up Honda. Chloe says he's 'nice'."

"'Nice'?"

"Nice is good," Owen says. "I prefer 'nice' to 'violated his parole'."

"I dumped that jerk after that incident," Mallory reminds Owen.

He chuckles. "Your taste in men has definitely improved."

"Heh."

_January 3_

The next morning, they congregate in the apartment lobby, prior to brunch.

"Did you talk with Chloe?" Owen asks Mallory.

"I did!" She replies with a mock salute. "On New Year's Eve, they danced, they talked, he had a few beers, and they kissed at midnight. No tongue."

Owen blinks as Mallory smiles impudently. "They went to a movie last night," she continues. "Diego went with them so they did not make out in the theatre. There was some kissing after Diego went to bed. She thinks they might see each other one more time before she goes back to Northwestern."

"And then?"

Mallory shrugs. "She likes him, but I don't think there is much interest in dating long-distance right now. Don't worry, _they're_ not engaged."

"It's going to be fun having you in the family," Meredith laughs, briefly giving Mallory a squeeze. "Did Chloe say anything about JoJo?"

"Not really," Mallory informs her. "Chloe called JoJo to see if she wanted to come to the movie with them but she said she had other plans."

"Mallory sucks at keeping secrets," Cristina says to Rob, who is looking nervous. "Except, of course, the one about you two hooking up at Christmas."

"Thank you for your report," Owen salutes his daughter. "I still think you could have gone far in the Army."

"You know that I could never make my bed regulation–style," she grins.

"This is good information," Derek chuckles. "We're not losing a son, we're gaining a spy."

"And I cook too," Mallory smiles at him. "I'm totally taking over all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas suppers from now on."

"You're already my favourite daughter-in-law," he smiles back.

* * *

"I wish you could have stayed longer," Mallory says, watching her parents pack their suitcases in their hotel room after brunch.

"Give us more notice the next time you get engaged," Owen grins.

"You could come to Seattle for March break," Cristina says. "Say the word and we'll buy tickets for both of you."

"Actually I think we're going to Monaco to meet up with Mark," Mallory says. "Sorry, but it _is_ warmer than Seattle."

Her father shakes his head, amused. "I'll have to get used to the idea that you're part of a couple now."

Mallory smiles and steps in to hug Owen. He kisses her forehead. "You done good, kiddo. I like the two of you together."

* * *

Next door, Rob listens patiently as his mother delivers one last lecture.

"Don't be shy about asking to help cover application fees," she reminds him, as she closes her suitcase.

"He gets it," Derek says, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Rob smiles ruefully. "I promise that I will get everything done as soon as possible. My fiancée will make sure that happens."

"And to think you thought he would marry Chloe," Meredith reminds Derek. "When all this time, Mallory was The One who is right for him."

"I was close," he points out. "But I agree on Mallory being the better Hunt for the job." He smiles at his son. "I haven't seen you this happy in a while. It looks good on you."

Rob chuckles with a quiet pride. Meredith's hand goes to her mouth, seeing a new maturity in her son.

"I'm very happy about the engagement," she tells Rob. "I love how Mallory can't take her eyes off of you. You two are so sweet together."

"Thanks Mom," he replies, hugging her.

"Just don't forget that there is a reason we call her 'Hurricane Mallory'," his father advises with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I've been told that we are not to ever speak of that incident again," Rob says. "But I won't forget."

"All right, let's go," Meredith says, checking her watch. "And we will see you in June in Seattle. Ready for a five Post-It note wedding."

"I can't wait," Rob smiles.


	3. The Wedding Party

"Okay, what's up?" Derek asks, entering the conference room where Cristina and Meredith are waiting.

The women shrug. "Owen didn't say anything to me," Cristina says, before taking a drink of her coffee.

"Ah good, you're all here." Owen enters the room and places several sheets of paper on the table. "I told Mallory to let us know how we can help with the wedding -"

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Meredith interrupts.

"Um yeah," Cristina snorts. "I don't do weddings."

Owen chuckles. "Fair enough. Look, she said she wants a simple wedding this summer, right? So I thought we - I mean, I - could help with some simple preparations while she's still in Paris."

Derek nods. "I think I see where this is going."

"She emailed three pages worth of things she wants us -"

"You," Cristina clarifies.

"Me - to research for her. Floral arrangements. A hall. A band. These are not simple things."

"And you paged us why?" Derek laughs.

Owen grins. "Have some pity on me. I had no idea what I was in for when I volunteered to help. I thought she meant things like put down the money to rent a place for the reception. She and I have very different ideas on what I can do to help, and what a simple wedding is."

Cristina shrugs. "Then tell her 'no'. Tell her to do it herself."

Owen looks at her sheepishly. She rolls her eyes.

"_No_, Owen. Just because _you_ can't say 'no' to our baby girl doesn't mean that I'm getting involved. I support Mallory in getting married if that's what she wants, but I am a surgeon first. I don't give a crap about flowers and gazebos and dresses. I just need to show up sober and not look hotter than the bride."

He sighs. "You're mean, Cristina."

"And you are too soft-hearted when it comes to our children. _No_."

Meredith stands up and addresses Owen. "Good luck with the wedding planning, but I want no part of this. I only do Post-It note weddings." With that, she leaves the room, Cristina right behind her.

Owen looks balefully at Derek.

"Oh hell no," the other man chuckles. "I just need to show up sober and not look hotter than the groom."

* * *

"What do you want to do tonight?" Rob asks, as he clears away the dishes from supper.

"We should finalize who is going to be in the wedding party," Mallory muses. "I want to start looking for my gown and then I'll need to decide the bridesmaid dresses but first we should decide who will be in the bridesmaid dresses."

"Okay." He sits down at the table. "You first."

"My maid of honour will be Chloe," Mallory says. "And I already asked Annick and she is going to fly in and be a bridesmaid. I think we should keep the wedding party small, don't you?"

Rob nods. "My cousin Jonah can be my best man, and I was thinking of asking one of my college buddies to be a groomsman. Do you think Diego would be an usher?"

"I think Diego would love to be an usher." Mallory tilts her head. "What about your cousin Laura's daughter as flower girl? How old is she?"

Rob thinks. "4? Is that a good age?"

"Yes!" Mallory smiles. "I think that's settled. That was easy."

Rob frowns. "What about JoJo?"

"What about JoJo?" Mallory asks, looking down at her hands.

"She's my sister," Rob says. "Isn't it tradition to include the groom's sister in the wedding party?"

"It's tradition that the bride chooses people that are close to her as her attendants," Mallory says curtly. "JoJo is not my friend, so she does not get to be a bridesmaid."

He blinks. "She's not your friend? Is this about the birthday party-"

"We do not speak of that incident," Mallory reminds him. "And anyways, my parents made me apologize. And did you know that she's been posting online that I'm pregnant and that's why we're getting married?"

"Lots of people think that you're pregnant," he points out. "And yeah, she thought you were a pest growing up, but you were a pain in the ass…"

She regards him evenly. "Ever since That Which Shall Not Be Discussed, I have gone out of my way to be nice to her. In return, she ignores me, when she isn't calling me a ginger or saying I fake asthma attacks for the attention or spreading the false story that I am pregnant."

He blinks in confusion. "She says you fake asthma attacks?"

Mallory nods. "I overheard her telling Chloe that once."

"Well." Rob sighs. "She is my sister and she should be in the wedding party..."

Mallory looks at him. "Then she can be one of your attendants."

"A girl?"

She rolls her eyes. "Girls can be groomsmen. Grooms maids. Or she could be the ring bearer."

He stares at her. "She's my _sister_."

She stares back. "She is not my friend. If you want her in the wedding party, make her a grooms maid, and I'll ask another one of my friends to be a bridesmaid so we'll be even."

"What, she's supposed to wear a tuxedo?" Rob scoffs.

"She can wear a black version of the bridesmaid dresses," Mallory suggests. "Or a black dress she can pick out – no, bad idea. She'll wear something inappropriate and everyone will look at her and not us. "

"Is that what you're worried about?" Rob asks. "Do you think that she's hotter than you and that's why you don't want her as a bridesmaid?"

Mallory turns pale as she glares at Rob, who feels the cold prickle of fear along his spine. "That's clearly not it," he says hastily. "You are _much_ prettier than her …"

"I know," she says coolly.

"I'm sorry," Rob stammers. "I'll ask JoJo to be my attendant, and she'll wear a black version of the bridesmaid dress and I will never again be so stupid as to suggest the possibility that any girl is hotter than you because that's just dumb and now you have me talking about the hotness of my sister."

Mallory arches an eyebrow as her posture relaxes.

"Is the wedding off?" Rob weakly jokes.

"Almost," she says, her twinkling eyes revealing her amusement.

"What can I do to ensure the wedding will happen?"

"Forget about your sister being a bridesmaid," Mallory spits out. "And never, ever, think that I think that she's prettier than I am. I am so much hotter than her. Plus, I brush my hair every day and don't wear 10 pounds of glitter make-up."

"Ouch." He looks at her nervously. "Now what?"

"We should probably go have the make-up sex," she says, standing up. "Coming?"

"You will be, very soon," he grins as he stands. To his relief, Mallory bursts into laughter.

* * *

"Ladies, I need a consult," Owen Hunt says, approaching the nurses' station. "What is a reasonable price for a wedding gown?"

The women laugh as Dr Bailey rolls her eyes. "Are you going shopping, Dr Hunt?"

"No," he says. "But Mallory wanted to pick out her dress in Paris and-"

"In _Paris_?" Miranda sighs. "You let your daughter shop for a wedding gown in the couture capital of the world?"

"I did?" Owen asks.

"Oh Dr Hunt," the head nurse says as the other nurses giggle. "_Really_?"

He shakes his head. "She said she wanted something simple-"

"They all do," Miranda says.

"-and she said that it's a simple design …"

"Uh huh," the women say knowingly.

"Well, she's standing in a bridal shop right now in a dress that she loves and she texted me the price and she's going to send through some pictures and I want to know if it's a reasonable price," Owen finishes. "I converted the price from Euros to US dollars and it's a _lot_ of money."

"Pictures?" The women smile hopefully.

"Yeah." Owen glances at his phone. "There they are. Here, look." He hands it over.

The women crowd around his phone. He watches nervously. Their faces light up.

"Look at that gown!" They scroll through the rest of the photos, smiling and pointing out details. They exclaim over terms that he finds confusing, like "empire waist" and "chantilly".

"Well?" Owen asks.

"Oh …" Miranda says in an unusually soft tone. "I delivered this child. I had to pull her out of her mama's womb two months early and she was so small that I wasn't sure she could survive. And now look at her. All grown up and getting married."

Owen stares at Bailey. She comes back to the present with a shake of her head, handing the phone back to Owen. "Whatever the price is, pay it."

He takes the phone. "Do I want to see the photos?"

"You do," they assure him.

Sighing, he starts to scroll through. He slows down. The photos take his breath away. Gone is the scrappy little girl who wreaked havoc on the hospital and their house. He sees a glowing young woman, radiantly happy and beautiful in her wedding gown. He sighs. Then he looks up to see the women beaming at him.

"A-hem," he coughs. "Thanks for the consult, ladies. I think that if Mallory wants this dress, then she should have it."

"Would _you_ like to adopt me, Dr Hunt?" The head nurse smiles at him. "I'm getting married in the fall and I don't have my gown yet…"

He grins and shakes his head. "I think one wedding per year is enough."

* * *

In the bridal shop, Annick watches Mallory take a phone call from her father. Mallory grins and gives her friend a thumbs up, before she jumps up and down, still wearing the wedding gown.

"Mademoiselle!" A shop clerk sniffs, spreading the skirt so that Mallory doesn't step on it while she does a happy dance.

"Thank you so, so, so, so, so much Dad!" Mallory squeals into the phone. "I'll send you the details right away and I love you and thank you! Bye!" She hangs up and pumps her fist in victory. "I have the best father in the world!"

"Does he want to adopt me?" Annick laughs.

* * *

"So how is the wedding planning going?" Meredith asks Cristina, as they meet for lunch.

"I don't know," her friend shrugs. "I know that Mallory picked out her dress, and according to ten different nurses, it's beautiful. I know from the credit card receipt that it's expensive."

"Don't you want to know what the dress looks like?"

Cristina scoffs. "The second that I show an interest in the wedding, Owen will try and sucker me into helping to arrange it. I am staying out of it."

Meredith smiles. "Even though you don't do weddings, I thought you'd want to take charge. I thought you'd want to be the mama bear who makes sure that her baby's wedding is well taken care of."

"Well," Cristina smiles. "If I did that, I'd turn into my mother. I do not want to turn into my mother."

"Ah."

"Mom would loved Mallory," Cristina muses. "She would have bought her all the girly-girl dresses she wanted and she would have been constantly flying to Seattle so she'd never miss a ballet recital or tea party and they would have gone shopping together and gotten their hair done together and all of that frilly crap that girly-girls do."

"Poor Mallory," Meredith smiles. "She only had Owen's mom and Honorary Auntie Lexie for the girly-girl crap."

"True." Cristina sips from her coffee. "How is Lexie these days?"

"The usual. Over-worked. Hating Utah. Bitter."

"She should move back," Cristina says. "We'll take her out for a girls' night, get her drunk, get her laid … I miss fun Lexie."

"Me too," Meredith sighs. "Let's get her drunk at the wedding. Deal?"

"Deal." Cristina frowns. "Unless Mark is there and he's still single."

Meredith nods. "If Mark is there and single, then we get _him_ drunk, and keep him away from Lexie."

"We'll set him up with JoJo."

"Cristina!"

Cristina snorts. "I was _joking_. He's old enough to be her grandfather. I meant that JoJo can keep him drunk and away from Lexie."

Meredith looks at her. "Do you really think JoJo is that wild?"

Cristina holds up her hands in surrender. "Compared to Chloe, yes, but compared to us, no. She's a young woman with healthy urges to get drunk and have fun."

"JoJo is on academic probation again," Meredith blurts out. "She could get kicked out of Miami."

"She could get kicked out of a party school?" Cristina frowns. "Wow."

"Yeah." Meredith looks pensive. "What if she ends up an alcoholic? Thatcher is not the grandparent she should be emulating."

"And you think _I'm_ a mama bear?" Cristina smirks. "She's 21. She's doing what we did. What we still do, actually."

Meredith shrugs.

"Maybe she needs to do what you and Rob did," Cristina continues. "Take some time off and travel around the world. Maybe pre-med isn't for her. Maybe, without the Grey- Shepherd medical legacies hovering over her, she'll figure out what she really wants to do and find the motivation to do it."

"What if she doesn't become a doctor?"

Cristina shrugs. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"How did you really handle Mallory's choice?" Meredith asks. "The not wanting to be a doctor thing."

"She just never seemed passionate about medicine," Cristina notes. "We assumed that she'd want to go to medical school, she never hated hearing about medicine and our stories from the hospital."

Cristina looks thoughtful. "I did wonder how she'd ever handle being an intern and a residency, since her asthma was so bad and her health was fragile at times. So it wasn't a terrible thing that she cared more about food and nutrition and cooking. And she's a damn good chef. That's what I want for her. To excel at what she does, whatever it is."

"Hmm." Meredith smiles. "Is Diego still on track to be a veterinarian?"

Cristina snorts. "We think so. Diego has discovered that girls are not icky. Consequently, all he does is hide in his room and talk with them, or he's out of the house chasing after them. We only see him when he needs food or money."

* * *

Derek leans against Joe's bar, and watches with amusement, as Owen argues with Mallory on his phone.

"I have a job!" Owen insists, pacing back and forth. "I don't have the time to do all of these things that you think I should do!"

Chuckling, Derek orders two more beers from Joe, as Bailey enters the bar.

"Maybe you should come to Seattle on Spring break," Owen suggests. "Forget Monaco. Come look at all these locations yourself and –" Owen grimaces. "Please don't cry, sweetie."

"What's going on?" Bailey asks Derek, gesturing towards Owen.

"Mallory wants someone to scout out wedding locations in Seattle and Owen is the only one willing to help with the wedding," he explains.

"What's the problem with that?"

"She sent a list of fifteen locations, and wants him to personally check them out and shoot video to send her," Derek chuckles.

"Oh my," Bailey snorts. "Is today going to be the day that he says 'no' to her?"

"Maybe." Derek grins as Owen tries to placate his daughter. "Can I say how happy am I that my daughter isn't the bride?"

"I'm happy I have just one son," Bailey laughs. "And that his wife was the perfect bridezilla who insisted on doing it all herself."

Owen turns off his phone and shakes his head. He gratefully takes the beer that Derek offers to him.

"Problem?" Derek smirks.

Owen sighs. "I put my foot down and told her to narrow her list to five. She whined over what an inconsiderate father I am, refusing to help his poor child, who is trying to arrange a wedding from another continent."

The others laugh. "She talked you into paying for an education in Paris and she thinks you're inconsiderate," Bailey notes.

Owen smiles ruefully. "When she's done picking out the bridesmaid dresses and needs someone to pay for them, I think I will be Father of the Year again."

"You're catching on!" Derek laughs.

"Just you wait," Owen grins. "Mallory seems to think that you and Meredith are going to be very helpful when it comes to them finding a place to live after the wedding."

Derek pauses. "How helpful?"

"I understand that you wouldn't want them to live in a dorm," Owen laughs. "You'd want them to have someplace nice, right? A studio apartment or even a one-bedroom apartment would be too small, right? In a good neighbourhood, of course. And she needs to have a big kitchen."

Bailey laughs as Derek shakes his head. "Thanks for the heads up, Owen. And thanks for spoiling your daughter."

"She's out of my hands after the wedding," Owen chuckles. "Then I can start saving my money for when the first grandchild appears. I'll be Grandfather of the Year."

"You think you can spoil a grandchild more than I can?" Derek scoffs. "It's on."

Owen holds up his bottle of beer. "Looking forward to it."

* * *

"You paged me for a broken ankle?" Owen frowns at Bailey as she gestures towards a bed in the Pit.

"You'll want to see this patient," she promises him, before opening the curtains. "Meet Alexandra. She was on her way to a very important appointment with a new client when she slipped on some ice."

The patient looks up from her phone. "Please tell me I won't be off my feet," she begs Owen. "I'm building up my business, I can't just sit at home. I need a walking cast, I'll undergo surgery, anything."

Owen frowns as he looks at her x-rays. "This is a very serious fracture."

"Tell him what your business is," Bailey prompts the frantic woman.

"I'm a wedding planner," she tells Owen. He puts down her x-rays, and tilts his head. "I just moved to Seattle and am looking for new clients and I can't do that if I can't walk."

"That's a job?" Owen asks. "You … plan weddings?"

"Yes!" She notes the wedding ring on his left hand. "I can help with some details, or I can manage an entire wedding from the shower to the ceremony to the reception. I can see that you don't need my services, but perhaps-"

"-Perhaps I have a daughter in Paris getting married this summer in Seattle," he smiles.

* * *

Derek, Meredith, and Cristina wait for Owen in a conference room.

"He's going to try the guilt gambit," Meredith predicts. "He'll point out how he's been doing all of the work and we should really help out with the wedding, plus he took a bullet for us."

"No, he's going to bust out the sad eyes," Cristina says, toying with a pen. "He's good at those."

"Whatever he comes up with, it won't work," Derek declares as he checks his watch.

"Good news!" Owen bursts into the room. "I've found a wedding planner. She's going to do all of the work from now on."

"What?" Meredith frowns. "How?"

"She's a patient, came in with a broken ankle," Owen explains, handing out business cards. "Bailey made sure to introduce us. Once she gets into a walking cast, she'll be able to scout out wedding locations."

"You can't hire just anyone to take care of Mallory's wedding!" Cristina complains. "How do you know she's any good?"

"I called in a few of the doctors and nurses to consult," he explains patiently. "They asked her all kinds of questions I wouldn't have thought of and looked at her website on her laptop and gave me the thumbs up. You can talk with her too, if you'd like. But I thought that since you're a surgeon first, mother of the bride second, you wouldn't be interested."

Cristina shakes her head and chuckles. "Well, if the Pit staff approves, that's good enough for me."

"And why are we here?" Meredith asks.

"I'm going to buy us all lunch," Owen says. "To celebrate not having to do anything but pay for the wedding from now on."

"I'm in!" Derek stands up, and shakes Owen's hand. "Well played, Father of the Year."

Cristina smiles as she takes his arm. "Nicely handled, Owen."

"Thank you."


	4. The Best

"Any news?" Meredith looks anxious as she approaches Cristina in her office. "Did you hear anything from Stanford?"

"Sorry," Cristina says. "I have contacted everyone I know there, but their medical program for next year is completely full with a lengthy wait list. I can't get an interview for Rob."

"Thanks for trying." Meredith starts to pace as she checks her watch. "Okay. Rob should be getting out of his UCLA interview any minute now. And I'm still waiting to hear back from the Deans of Dartmouth and Columbia."

"At least he's already been accepted at Wake Forest," her friend counsels. "So he will go to _a_medical school next fall."

"But he could do better," Meredith says dismissively. "And if he'd started applying in the fall like everyone else—"

"But he didn't." Cristina smiles. "Relax, he's got fantastic recommendation letters and solid MCAT scores. He will rock the UCLA interview."

"'Relax.' You wouldn't be so calm if this was Chloe trying to get into medical school," Meredith responds.

"True. But Chloe applied in September and got accepted everywhere," Cristina smirks.

"Quit bragging." Meredith jumps as her phone rings. She hastily answers it. "Talk to me, Rob. How did the interview go?"

"I think it went well," her son replies. "Listen, I need your advice about a bit of a situation with the wedding—"

"I'm not a wedding planner," Meredith reminds him. "Tell me about UCLA. Did you get a 'yes' or 'no' feeling?"

Rob sighs. "They loved me so much that they did backflips. Now can I please ask you a question as my mother?"

"Fine, but then you have to tell me every single thing about the interview."

"Okay." Rob gulps. "So, um, Mallory doesn't want JoJo to be a bridesmaid, so I'm going to ask her to be one of my attendants. And I'm not really sure how to do that without making her mad. She's been dropping maid of honor hints."

"Why doesn't Mallory want JoJo as a bridesmaid?" Meredith looks at Cristina, who shrugs.

"She doesn't think they're close friends." Rob replies. "And we want to keep the wedding small. So how do I ask her without pissing her off?"

Meredith thinks quickly. "Go with wanting to keep the wedding small. Flatter her by telling her how much it will mean to you to have her by your side. Do _not_ get involved with whatever is happening between the girls. You never, _ever_, want to get in between two fighting women."

Cristina snickers and whispers "true" to Meredith.

"Okay." Rob exhales. "Thanks Mom, I mean it."

"Now tell me everything about the interview," she commands, walking out of Cristina's office. "Were you there early like I told you to be? What did you wear?"

* * *

Rob sighs as he settles into a seat in the passenger lounge at LAX. He draws in a deep breath, before pulling out his phone and calling his sister.

"Hey!" JoJo answers quickly. "How was the UCLA interview?"

"Good," he smiles. "I think it went really well. Listen, I have something to ask of you."

"Go ahead."

He gulps. "Would you stand up with me at the wedding as one of my attendants?"

"What?" JoJo asks, surprise coming through the telephone.

"I asked if you would be one of my attendants," Rob says. "Jonah is going to be my best man, and I would like you to also be standing up there with me."

"I don't understand," she says. "Why am I not a bridesmaid?"

"We want to keep the wedding party small," he says. "She's got Chloe and Annick as her attendants, and I want you and Jonah."

"Who is Annick?"

"One of her friends from school."

"I'm your sister, Rob. I was hoping Mallory would ask me to be the maid of honor, but I can settle for bridesmaid."

"Mallory really wants _her_ sister to be her maid of honour," Rob grimaces. "What's wrong about being an attendant?"

"It's just weird," JoJo sighs. "I don't know."

"You'll … be unique," Rob offers. "You've already been a bridesmaid like five times, right? This is new! And it excuses you from having to do the bridal shower and stuff. You can wear a black version of the bridesmaid dress and stand out."

"Would I have to be an usher too?"

"No, Diego is going to be one, and I can ask some of my buddies to help there."

"I'll think about it," his sister says. "But I really don't get it, Rob. I always thought I'd be the maid of honor or a bridesmaid at your wedding, not stuck off to the side as an attendant."

"You wouldn't be off to the side."

"But I have a _great_ idea for the bachelorette party, Rob. I want to be a bridesmaid."

"JoJo …" Rob sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. "You could organize the wedding shower? People still have those, right?"

"My idea is _not_ appropriate for that," JoJo snorts. Then she pauses. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

Rob grimaces. "Look … Mallory says you've been telling everyone that she's pregnant and that's really bothering her, and FYI, she is definitely not pregnant. She thinks that the two of you aren't exactly friendly. If you really want to be a bridesmaid, maybe you two could clear the air with each other?"

"Oh really?" JoJo laughs. "The Hurricane needs to have a sense of humor. I'm just joking around. You did get engaged very quickly. And I would prefer to be a bridesmaid."

"I'll … talk with Mallory when I get back to Paris," Rob says. "But I think the two of you should talk."

"You talk to her first," JoJo says. "She's the one who ruined my birthday party, remember?

"I'm not supposed to talk about that incident," Rob admits. "And come on, Jo, she was like three or four years old then, and she said she was sorry. That was years ago. Let it go."

"Talk to her," is all his sister says in response.

* * *

"Where are all of the strays?" Derek smiles as he hangs up his coat after a long day.

"They took Leina out to celebrate her first solo surgery," Meredith replies, before greeting him with a kiss. "It's just the two of us home tonight."

"What will we do with all this peace and quiet?" He pulls her into his arms, then grimaces as Meredith's phone rings.

"It's JoJo." Meredith tells him, before answering. She looks puzzled. Derek can hear ranting through the phone.

"What? Why?" Meredith sighs. "You want me to what?"

Derek smiles and waits patiently as Meredith scowls.

"JoJo, talk to your brother. Or Mallory. It's _their_ wedding, not mine. I'm not getting involved."

"Ah," Derek says to himself, walking away. He goes into the kitchen and pulls out food to heat up. The microwave is finished by the time Meredith enters the room.

"I can't believe Post-it weddings never caught on," she grumbles, sitting down at the table.

"What is today's drama report?"

His wife sighs. "Rob asked JoJo to be one of his attendants, and she'd rather be a bridesmaid. Rob is going to talk to Mallory, but JoJo doesn't think he will stand up for her. So I'm supposed to call Cristina and make her make Mallory make JoJo a bridesmaid."

"Makes sense." Derek grins.

"Hmph!" She sighs. "I don't have time for this. I spent all day making phone calls to get Rob an interview at Dartmouth. Which I managed to do, at last. By the way, you're giving a lecture at Dartmouth next year."

"What?" He chuckles. "You whored me out to get Rob an interview?"

"Yes!" Meredith waves her fork at him. "Do you know how hard it is to get an interview at this time of year?"

"I know, I _know_. I've tried to find someone with a spot in their program, or a short waiting list, but I can't do that and run the hospital too." He smiles and touches her hand. "It will be okay. Even if he starts at a crap school, he can always transfer to a better school later."

"Why are you so calm about this?"

"Because I'm going to spend a night alone with my wife," Derek replies. "We should turn off our phones, misplace our pagers, and just forget about kids and weddings and medical school and the hospital. We have the house to ourselves, Meredith."

She smiles and shakes her head. "This is our son's future."

"Just for one night, let it go," he counsels. "We will both hit the phones again tomorrow, trying to find another opening."

"But—"

Derek places a finger on her mouth. "But Rob is an adult now. As long as he is going to a medical school, I'm happy."

* * *

"You're home!" Mallory smiles happily when she enters the apartment. "Welcome back!" She slings her arms around Rob's neck and kisses him.

"Nice to see you too," he smiles ruefully, holding her close.

"What's wrong? I thought you said UCLA went well."

"It did," Rob says. "I just called the bar. The guy who was supposed to cover my shifts quit two days ago, so my shifts didn't get covered and I got fired."

"Oh." She rubs his arms in sympathy. "Well, you can find another job, right? With daytime shifts so we can see each other every night?"

"How am I supposed to hold down a new job when my mother keeps setting up interviews that I have to fly back to the States for?" Rob counters. "By the way, I'm going to New Hampshire next week. Mom got me an interview at Dartmouth."

"Dartmouth!" Mallory grins. "It's Ivy League, and it's close to Harvard and Chloe! You're going to Dartmouth!"

Rob laughs. "You know I prefer UCLA. Their diabetes research centre is world-class. Plus, Los Angeles is warmer and closer to Seattle. And my mother went to Dartmouth so there's that family legacy thing I want to avoid."

"But UCLA isn't Ivy League, and the Shepherd and Grey legacies are going to follow you everywhere anyways."

"Whatever happened to 'I'll move to wherever you want to study, Rob'?" He grins.

"And I will," she assures him. "I just prefer Dartmouth."

"I'm the one who will be going. I think I should have a say in choosing my medical school."

"Sure," she smiles. "I can see why you'd feel that way."

He laughs. "Look, I haven't been accepted at UCLA or Dartmouth, so why argue about it?"

"True. At least you have an actual acceptance from Wake Forest," Mallory says, pulling off her coat. "You can start there and maybe transfer to Dartmouth after your first term?"

He smiles softly and takes her jacket, hanging it up. "I don't want to drag you all over the country when you're going to be starting your career as the best chef ever."

"Aw."

"And I still prefer UCLA. Now, how are you? You look tired."

She shrugs. "It's been a long week, and I missed you. I don't like living by myself anymore. And when I come home from school, I'm on the phone or the computer with the wedding planner."

Rob just smiles and strokes her cheek.

Mallory frowns. "What?"

"I talked with JoJo …" Rob takes her hands. "She really wants to be a bridesmaid. Actually, she wanted to be the maid of honor. She thinks the attendant thing is 'weird,' and she wants to put together your bachelorette party. Is there any way we can make this work?"

"She can be a bridesmaid when Chloe gets married," Mallory wisecracks.

"Maybe if the two of you talked …?" Rob looks at her hopefully.

She shakes her head. "No. Now come on, let's talk about something else. It's so rare that we're together now. What do you want to do? Go have a nap? You look exhausted."

"I am exhausted," he admits. "This jet lag is killing me."

"Then go lie down on the bed while I make something for you to eat."

"_I_ want JoJo to be a bridesmaid," Rob blurts out. "I always thought she'd be a bridesmaid whenever I got married. It would make me very happy, and it would make her happy and … just stick her on the end, after Chloe and Annick. You won't even know she's there."

Mallory says nothing, she just stares at him with an intense expression that reminds him very much of her father.

Rob draws in a deep breath. "I don't think that you're being very flexible on this. I have let you have your way on everything else. This is my _one_ request for what is _my_ wedding, too. She is my sister, and she prefers to be a bridesmaid. And I want her to be happy with her place in the wedding party."

"_What?_" Mallory turns red. "_I'm_ not being flexible? I'm trying to arrange a wedding from another continent and make sure all of our bills get paid when I don't even see you. You said that you would get a daytime job but you haven't. You're just flying in and out—"

"_Because you're making me go to medical school!_" Rob explodes. "I should have waited another year. My parents are paying a fortune in airfare because you and your stupid plans dictate that I have to be a resident at a certain time—"

"My plans are not stupid!" Mallory shouts back. "And at least I have a plan! And I am not _making_you go to medical school! You can wait if you damn well want to!"

"But you wouldn't marry me without an acceptance letter!"

"You're the one who couldn't wait to get married! I can wait! I can wait _years_ before ever saying 'I do'!"

They stare at each other, shocked.

* * *

Cristina and Meredith urgently page each other before meeting up in an on call room.

"I just got a call from Rob," Meredith says, pointing to her phone. "He says the wedding is off because your control freak daughter is impossible, and he's going to South America to get away from her!"

"I just got off the phone with Mallory!" Cristina shoots back. "Your dumb ass son has her sobbing because he dumped her, and now she wants to drop out of school and come home early!"

They glare at each other for a long moment. Before bursting into laughter.

"Okay, _what_ did Rob say?" Cristina smiles.

"Mallory won't let JoJo be a bridesmaid, she's being bossy about where he goes to medical school when he thinks he should wait another year, and apparently she's not as excited about getting married as he thought she was." Meredith reports. "Also, he got fired. What did Mallory say?

"He was all 'you will do what I tell you to' and says she is forcing him to go to medical school in order to marry her and fit into her grand scheme and now he is abandoning her to go to Costa Rica," Cristina replies.

"Huh." Meredith shakes her head. "_This_ is a fine mess."

"Indeed. I might have been a little harsh with Mallory when she said she wanted to drop out," Cristina admits.

"And I told Rob that he absolutely has to go medical school this fall and he hung up on me," Meredith says. "Cristina, we have to do something. My son can be a brilliant doctor. He just needs to go to medical school already. He can't go trekking off again."

"And my stubborn daughter wants to throw away a very expensive education to come home and cry on her daddy's shoulder," Cristina sighs. "Mallory left a message for Owen before she got me on the phone. We have to fix this before he hears the message and goes to Paris to retrieve her. You know that Owen will do whatever Mallory wants."

"Rob emailed Derek!" Meredith scowls. "Derek will get on his high horse, and Rob will disappear for a couple of years. And then he'll never be a doctor."

"The men are in surgery for at least a couple more hours," Cristina says. "And it's what, 9 o'clock already in Paris? We don't have much time but we can save the wedding."

"We?" Meredith gasps. "What do we know about that?"

"We're going to save the wedding so that our children don't mess up their educations," Cristina reminds her. "Priorities, Mer."

* * *

Walking through a crowded subway platform, Rob doesn't glance at the caller display on his phone, he just answers as he swerves to avoid an arguing couple.

"Yeah."

"Hello Rob," Cristina says.

Rob stops cold. He suddenly feels alone and exposed, while standing in a crowd. "Um, hello."

"We don't have a lot of time, so listen up," she says. "Are you still in love with Mallory?"

"Of course," Rob says hoarsely. "But she—"

"Don't 'but she-' me. Is it absolutely essential to you that your sister be a bridesmaid?"

"JoJo really wants to be one," Rob says. "I don't want her to be unhappy."

"You're putting your sister's happiness before your wife's?"

"Good point."

"And what is this about where you're going to medical school?"

He sighs. "I prefer UCLA but she wants me to go to Dartmouth because it's Ivy League and close to her sister."

"There's nothing wrong with Ivy League," Cristina notes. "But UCLA is a good school and is closer to Seattle. Look, being in a relationship requires some compromise. Do you think you can work things out with JoJo so that Mallory will be more flexible on UCLA? She's in love with you. Don't throw that away."

"She just threw _me_ out of the apartment," he points out.

"Because you two have to compromise. Why can't JoJo be one of your attendants? Or an overgrown flower girl?"

Rob swallows. "I asked her to be one of my attendants but she didn't like that. She's always dreamed of being my maid of honor, actually. I'm really trying to make them both happy."

"What about Best Man? Woman?"

Rob furrows his brow. "That … might work. Jonah has been trying to get out of giving the Best Man speech."

"Listen, Rob." Cristina breathes in deeply. "I get Mallory. She's like me. Only nicer. And she cooks."

"Uh huh," Rob says.

"So you need to respect her wishes for her wedding and find a way to include JoJo. That will show her that you can compromise. And then she will want to compromise. Do you think you can do that?

"I think I can." Rob starts climbing stairs towards the chilly evening air.

"Now here's the situation," Cristina continues. "Dr Hunt gets out of surgery in approximately two hours. So you have two options. Option number one is to find Mallory, make up with her, and get her to call her father and let her know everything is okay. In two hours."

Rob stands still and swallows nervously.

Cristina's voice drops. "Option number two is to get a head start and leave Paris. Because if you two haven't made things right in two hours and Mallory still wants to drop out of school, Dr Hunt will be going straight to the airport. And do you know why he'll be going to the airport?"

"To kick my ass?" Rob weakly smiles.

"Not quite," Cristina says, slowly and deliberately. "_Both_ of us will be on the plane and we _will_find you. Dr Hunt's job will be to hold you down while I _hurt_ you, the way that you _hurt_ my daughter. I will bring a scalpel, and I will not use anesthetic. Got that?"

"I'm going back to the apartment," Rob says, turning around and moving towards the platform.

* * *

Mallory is furiously cleaning the small kitchen when the phone rings. She frowns to see the caller's name but answers. "Hi Auntie Meredith."

"Hi sweetie," Meredith says, cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Just _awful_," Mallory blurts out, sitting down. "I had a fight with Rob and—"

"I know," Meredith interrupts. "I get it. Rob can be very stubborn sometimes."

"Right!" Mallory beams. "I knew _you'd_ understand. Mom yelled at me."

"Oh, I understand," Meredith says carefully. "Here's what you need to understand. Rob is like me. You can't tell him what to do all the time. It will just make him run or build eight foot thick emotional walls. You have to be careful about how you discuss things. Just because you managed to seduce him so quickly—"

"I did no such thing!" Mallory protests. "He wanted me just as much as I wanted him."

"I don't know the details, but I know you, Mallory Hunt, and I know you must have made the first move," Meredith shoots back. "You can be a very sweet girl but you are also Cristina Yang's daughter."

"Fine, I'm a scheming temptress," Mallory admits. "Why are you calling?"

"Rob is on his way back to your place after talking with your mother," Meredith informs her.

"He is?" Mallory grins delightedly, feeling a sudden surge of hope.

"He is. But you need to be careful, Mallory. Greet him with open arms and be willing to compromise, Mal. Gently guide him into coming to some sort of agreement. And for the love of God, don't be so stubborn yourself."

Mallory nibbles her bottom lip. "He's really coming back?"

"Yes. Now, you have two hours to work things out, and both of you have to contact your fathers and tell them everything is okay."

"Two hours?" Mallory gasps. "Why?"

"Because they're in surgery until then," Meredith says. "If Derek finds out that Rob wants to run away again and not go to medical school for another year, he's going to yell at Rob and then Rob will run away. And goddamn it, Mallory, Rob has it within him to be a brilliant doctor and he has to go to medical school in the fall. You are going to do everything in your charming power to make that happen. If he doesn't go to medical school now, he'll never go. Then he'll be a bum for the rest of his life and he will waste his gift. _And I will be severely pissed off at you_. Got it?"

"Got it," Mallory says meekly. "Rob has to go to medical school. Okay, Auntie Meredith."

"Good. Now go blow your nose and pull yourself together and make my son happy. You're a smart girl. Be smart."

"I will."

* * *

Meredith hangs up and shares a glance with Cristina. "I think I got through to Mallory."

"Good," Cristina sighs. "Can we hope those two idiots will work it out?"

"I think they can," her friend muses. "They're young and in love. That helps."

Cristina snorts. "You are such a romantic."

They look at each other for a long moment.

"Was this really about saving their educations?" Meredith asks with a little smile.

Cristina grins. "I think we might care about our children's happiness, too. A little."

"Just a bit."

* * *

As soon as she hears Rob's key in the lock, Mallory yanks open the door and flings herself into his arms.

"I'm sorry," she gasps between kisses.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles back, guiding her into the apartment and kicking the door shut behind him. He drops his backpack and lifts her onto the kitchen table, helping her pull off his jacket.

"Wait," he says. "We have to talk about this."

"Really?" She gets to work on the buttons of his shirt. "I think talking gets us into trouble."

"We don't have to talk a lot," he laughs. "Just … can we agree to get married and worry about everything else later? I'll find another job, and I'll try to make it a daytime one. I can ask JoJo to be my best man. Woman. That will make her feel more important."

"Okay," she grins, helping him pull off his shirt. "If you want UCLA, go to UCLA. They have a world class diabetes research center. They'd be smart to take you. And we'll be closer to our parents. And I'll marry you this summer even if you want to delay school a year, but your mother is going to kill me for that so please don't put it off. Are we made up now?"

"Yes," he gasps, kicking off his shoes. "We have to contact our parents now. Your mother threatened to hurt me. She told me how she'll use a scalpel on me if your father lets you drop out of school."

"I want you now," she pouts, moving her hands to his belt. "And I'm not dropping out of school."

"Mallory, I'm serious," he says, blue eyes wide. "Your mother scared me so much that I almost pissed myself. The sex isn't going to be good until I know I'm safe."

"Get out your phone!"

* * *

Post-surgery, Derek and Owen both check their phones outside of the scrub room.

Owen turns to Derek. "I have a voice mail from Mallory saying that your son is a stupid jerk and she wants to forget school and come home early."

"Huh," Derek replies. "I have an email saying that your daughter is controlling and stubborn and Rob thinks that _Costa Rica_ would be an appropriate distance from her."

"Wait, there's more." Owen listens. "Okay, never mind. Everything is good. She thinks Rob is wonderful again, and I'm supposed to assure you and Meredith that he is definitely going to medical school this fall. Whatever medical school he chooses."

Derek nods and reads his next message. "Rob says not to worry, he's going to marry your bossy control freak, and _please_, make sure that Cristina doesn't get on a plane to dissect him."

The men look at each other.

"Do we want to know what that was about?" Owen half-smiles.

"Not at all," Derek says. "Coffee?"

"Sounds good."


	5. The Guest List

Mark Sloan sits by the hotel pool, scanning the crowd of people..

"Ah, Monaco," says the dark-haired woman sunbathing beside him. "This was a _great _idea for Spring Break. Thank you for inviting me."

"I thought you'd like it. Need a refresh on your drink?"

Sofia holds up an almost full margarita glass. "I'm good, Dad."

"Okay."

She adjusts the straps of her bikini and smirks as she watches Mark scan the crowd. "Enjoying the view?"

"Not bad, not bad at all," he grins.

Mark's eyes go to a slim girl, whose back is facing him. His eyes follow her legs up to her brief turquoise bikini. Her hair is hidden by a huge hat. She turns around – and grins widely at him.

"Oh shit," Mark mutters, standing up as Mallory Hunt squeals and runs over.

"Hi Mark!" She flings her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. "Thank you so much for the ring and this trip, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," he chuckles, very carefully giving her a brief and chaste hug. "Glad I could help. Where's Rob?"

"Getting our drinks." Mallory turns to Mark's companion. "Hi Sofia! Nice to see you again!"

"Likewise." The tan beauty grins. "You were a foot shorter when I last saw you. And now look at you, all grown up and getting married."

"Hey!" They turn to see Rob Shepherd approaching with drinks, smiling widely. "Good to see you again, Sofia. And thanks again for this trip, Mark."

"Any time," the older man smiles. "Rob, you're looking like an adult now."

"It's all her fault," Rob chuckles, handing a drink to Mallory. "She's making me all responsible and stuff."

"Guilty!" Mallory beams as she holds up her glass. "I propose a toast … to the admissions committee of UCLA's Medical School. Who as of yesterday have graciously accepted Rob into their fine educational institution."

"All right!" Mark grins at Rob, who nods. "To UCLA!"

They hold up their glasses. "To UCLA!"

"And thanks again to Mark, who put in a few good words to his friends there," Rob acknowledges.

"Bah," Mark says. "It was more like, I put a couple of implants into one of my good friends."

Mallory grins fiendishly. "Whatever you did, thanks."

"You know, you could move in with me." Mark looks hopefully at the young couple. "I have a big house and it's quiet now without Candi and her little dogs. Sofia is going to stay with me while she starts her internship at Cedars-Sinai."

Rob and Mallory look quickly at each other. "We like having our own place," Mallory says, taking Rob's hand.

"Dad!" Sofia pokes his arm. "They'll be _newlyweds_. They're going to want their privacy. I promise that I'll be noisy."

Mark chuckles. "Okay then."

* * *

Cristina walks into the living room, raising an eyebrow to find Diego splayed out on a couch, reading a book. Owen is impatiently pacing back and forth.

"Could this be our teenage son, out in the open?" She smirks at Owen. "Are you making him spend quality time with us?"

Diego looks up and grins. "Chloe's going to be here any minute. Mickey picked her up from the airport."

"So?"

"So Dad is getting ready to meet Mickey," Diego explains patiently, pointing to his father. "I don't want to miss that."

"Oh. Me neither." Cristina takes a seat.

"I'm in the room," Owen sighs. "I can hear you."

"Uh huh." Cristina smirks. "Look at you, you're in full papa bear mode."

"I'm just looking forward to Chloe being home," he grins. "And, this Mickey already has one strike against him, not driving her home from New Year's Eve."

"Because Chloe took care of herself, rather than rely on him," Cristina retorts. "And she _is_twenty-two years old, Owen."

They turn at the sound of a car door outside. Owen bounds towards the front door and yanks it open. Cristina exchanges an amused glance with Diego before standing up and going to the foyer.

"Thanks Dad!" Chloe hauls her suitcase inside, then closes the front door behind her. She hugs her father, who is looking surprised. "What?"

"Isn't he coming in to say 'hi'?" Owen asks, pointing to the door.

"Dad!" Chloe rolls her eyes, turning to hug her mother in greeting.

"But he-" Owen is silenced by Cristina's hand over his mouth.

"He can come in and say 'hi' when he picks me up tonight," Chloe sighs. "And nice to see you too, my flight was fine, thanks for asking."

Her father smiles sheepishly. "I'm happy you're home, dear Chloe, and I'm glad you had a good flight. May I take your suitcase up to your room for you?"

"If you like, kind sir," she grins.

* * *

JoJo Shepherd pretends to ignore the admiring stares as she saunters into the lounge. She walks through the room with a certain swagger, thankful she'd thought to change into her best little black dress. She makes her way to a booth in the back, where a pugnacious man with close-cropped hair is waiting for her.

"Hey." Alex Karev looks up and gestures for her to join him. "You look great."

"As do you." She slides onto the seat across him, as he slides a martini towards her. "Thank you for meeting with me. And nice place."

Alex shrugs. "It's Spring Break, I wanted to go to a place that wasn't crammed with drunk kids. I'll see them in nine months when they're ready to give birth."

"Don't tell me you're getting old," JoJo smirks, tossing her blonde hair over a shoulder. "It's not like you've never partied with me and my girlfriends."

"True," he grins. "But a room full of sweaty frat boys who spill beer on me loses its appeal."

JoJo smiles as she sips from her martini.

"So why are we here?" Alex asks. "Why are _you _staying in Miami over Spring Break when you could jet off to anywhere you want?"

JoJo makes a face. "I can't go anywhere with cancelled credit cards. My parents cut me off."

Alex chortles. "Oh ho! So you need money. Did Mark cut you off too?"

"I'm not asking you for money." JoJo smiles coyly. "Can't we just get together to catch up? We live in the same city but we hardly see each other."

"If it's not money, it's your grades," Alex snorts. "Are you failing? Want to copy one of my old term papers?"

"But I do like spending time with you," she says, sliding her fingers around the rim of her glass. "And okay, maybe school isn't going well. And you are very good friends with the Dean …"

"We broke up last week," the older man laughs. "You do _not _want me to plead your case with her."

"Oh." JoJo purses her lips, before dropping her cool demeanor. "Well that sucks. For you, I mean."

"What's going on?" Alex asks quietly. "You're a smart kid."

"I'm … just trying to figure some things out," she mutters, looking down at her manicured nails. "I've got a really heavy course load this semester and I'm behind on some papers and I don't know how I'm ever going to catch up. And my parents cut me off because I'm about to get kicked out."

"You want to catch up, you should be on campus, working your ass off, instead of flirting with me," he advises.

"I am not flirting with you," JoJo protests.

"You think I don't know when a girl pretties herself up to ask a favor?" Alex asks, before drinking from his glass. "Come on, JoJo. Don't try to play me."

JoJo drinks from her martini glass, studiously avoiding Alex's gaze.

"I'm just trying to be a friend here," Alex says quietly. "If you're finding pre-med hard, you're not going to last in med school. Maybe you ought to consider your options."

"I have too many options as it is," she sighs, before taking another drink.

"What does that mean?" Alex watches her carefully. "You can talk with me, Jo. I'm not going to rat you out to your folks."

She shakes her head, closing her eyes. "I'm stressed out. Sorry. This was a mistake. You're right, I should just go home and write a damn paper."

He reaches out and grabs one of her hands. "Or you could tell me what's really wrong. You … in trouble? You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" She half-smiles, glancing at him. "No, I am not pregnant."

"Well that's good," Alex nods. "Hey, is it true that Hurricane Mallory is pregnant?"

"She's not," JoJo says. "That was just a rumor. Because they got engaged so fast."

"You seemed pretty sure about it when you e-mailed me," Alex says, releasing her hand.

She shrugs. "I guess they really did just fall in love and decide things that quickly."

"I hear that happens." Alex watches a shadow fall over her face. "Who are you in love with, JoJo?"

"I'm not in love," she scoffs, looking away again.

"Really." Alex notices the tension in her body language and switches tactics. "So, you're going to be the hot single bridesmaid at the wedding? Be prepared to fight off a lot of men."

She grins, then. "I'm going to be the hot Best Woman, if you can believe that."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. I'm going to wear a black version of the bridesmaid dress and stand by Rob and then I have to give a speech at the reception."

"Interesting." Alex smiles at her. "It's nice, that you're all going to be one big happy family. I would never have predicted that when I met your mom and Cristina. Or when Hurricane Mallory destroyed your birthday party."

JoJo rolls her eyes. "Indeed. Hey, how did you hear about that?"

"I was there. I was in town, trying to hook up with a nurse whose kid was invited," Alex grins. "Stories like that are why I've never become a parent."

"Good call. Kids are horrible little things. And they're sticky."

* * *

Cristina is working on her laptop when Diego walks downstairs and flops down on a couch. "Two sightings in one day," she grins. "My my."

"Like I'm going to miss the Papa bear show." Diego pauses. "Do you think he'll interrogate any girls I bring over?"

"Worse," Cristina tells him frankly. "Not only will he quiz them mercilessly, he'll be expecting you to be the ultimate gentleman and your behavior will be under scrutiny at all times."

Diego's face falls. "Oh crap." He pauses. "Hey, that's sexist."

They both look up as Chloe walks into the living room.

"Mom?" Chloe stands in front of her. "How do I look?"

Cristina scrutinizes her appearance. Chloe is dressed in jeans with a beige shirt over a t-shirt. "Undo a button."

"Really?" Chloe gestures helplessly before unbuttoning her shirt. "That's it?"

Her mother sighs. "Okay, the beige is boring. Go look in my closet or Mallory's for something with color."

"And take your hair out of the ponytail," Diego adds. He grins as the women turn and look at him. "What?"

"Fine," Chloe mutters, releasing her hair, letting her dark curls tumble down. "How is my make-up?"

"You could use some eyeliner," Cristina says. "And when did you turn all girly?"

"I don't get dates when I'm not girly," her daughter sighs.

Diego scoffs. "Mickey asked you out the first time when you weren't exactly girly. "

Chloe looks stricken. "What does _that _mean?"

"Sorry," Diego says. "Your usual self is casual and just fine and I will shut up now."

Cristina smirks. "Your brother is trying to say that this Mickey apparently does not care how girly you are, which is a good thing. You shouldn't feel you have to dress up for him."

"I just want to look nice," her daughter mutters. "I don't dress up that much, you know."

"All right," Cristina says, standing up. "Come upstairs and we'll go over your make-up and find something colorful."

Diego watches them go upstairs with amusement, before picking up a magazine. He looks up again as Owen emerges from the basement.

"He's not here yet Dad," Diego says. "Mom is fixing Chloe's make-up."

"Okay." Owen sits down on the couch, rubbing his hands expectantly. "So what are you up to tonight?"

"I'm going to watch you torture Mickey," his son grins. "I mean, I also share your concern that my fair sister is dating a gentleman of taste and refinement."

"I'm not that bad," Owen protests.

"Oh yes you are."

Owen shakes his head. Then he leaps up as the front doorbell is rung. Diego puts down the magazine, ready to watch the scene unfold.

Owen opens the front door and sees a brown-haired man in a scruffy jacket. "Hey," the young man says. "Is Chloe ready?"

"Just about," Owen replies, sticking out his hand. "I'm Dr Owen Hunt, her father."

"Hey." Mickey shakes his hand, then looks quizzical as Owen stands there. "Are you going to let me in?"

"Come in," Owen says, stepping aside. "I assume you're Mickey?"

"Yeah," Mickey shrugs. He waves to Diego. "Hey kid."

"Hey," Diego grins, watching his father slowly scrutinize Mickey from head to toe. "You still driving that Honda?"

"Uh huh."

"What are your plans for the evening?" Owen asks.

"I dunno," Mickey says. "Probably a movie."

Owen smiles patiently. "I understand that you're an electrical engineering student?"

"Uh huh." Mickey pulls out his phone and checks something. Diego stifles a laugh as Owen crosses his arms across his chest and frowns.

"Why don't you take a seat so we can talk?" Owen suggests to Mickey, gesturing to the living room. "While Chloe gets ready."

"Huh?" Mickey looks up from his phone.

"I'd sit down if I were you," Diego smiles at him. Mickey finds a seat on the couch.

"Now what do you see yourself doing when you graduate?" Owen asks the young man, sitting directly across from him.

"Um." Mickey's eyes grow wide. "I want to design light shows for rock concerts. I do some work for local clubs and bands."

"Light shows." Owen nods solemnly. "There are some interesting things going on with medical technology and –"

"Dad!" Chloe comes downstairs and scowls at Owen. "Stop that! We're going to be late if you interrogate him." She tugs at the colorful scarf now knotted around her neck.

Owen smiles innocently. "I was just making small talk while you got ready."

"Owen," Cristina warns, as she walks down the stairs. "Leave him alone."

"Fine." Owen spreads his hands in surrender. "Chloe, do you have your phone?"

"I do and it's charged," she sighs, getting her coat from the closet as Mickey makes his escape from the living room. "Good _night_, everyone."

"Have a good evening," Owen replies, watching them leave. He stands by the front door, watching them until Mickey's car leaves the driveway. Then he turns around and sighs.

"Well?" Cristina asks, taking a seat.

Owen shakes his head. "Strike two was not carrying in her luggage earlier. Strike three was not introducing himself to me or you, and he barely made eye contact, and he didn't help her with her coat or hold the door open for her."

She chuckles. "That means he was born in this century, Owen."

"That means she can do better," he replies, sitting down beside her.

Cristina turns to their son. "Diego? What did you think?"

Diego shakes his head. "I didn't get a good vibe from him. And he drives a crap car."

"What does his car have to do-" Cristina sighs as the men exchange patronizing looks.

"The car says _everything _about a guy," Diego explains patiently. "His car says he doesn't put effort into maintenance and rust protection. That means he's not into long-term thinking."

"Well, who said Chloe is in this for the long term?" Cristina replies. "She's just going out with a guy she's dated a couple of times."

"She should _always _go out with someone who will take care of her–" Owen begins, stopping as Cristina chucks a pillow at him. He laughs and tosses it aside.

Diego stands up as his phone rings. "I'll take this upstairs," he tells his parents, making his escape.

"Old-fashioned gentlemen are hard to come by," Cristina tells Owen as he sits down beside her. She swings her legs onto his lap. "Kind sir, would it be too much to ask you to rub my feet?"

"Ha ha," he chuckles, slipping her socks off. "This is what I'm talking about."

Cristina smiles as his hands get to work, applying just the right pressure in just the right spots.

"Don't …" Cristina sighs. "Are … are you concerned about the fact that Chloe rarely goes on dates?"

"You mean, am I concerned that her whole life appears to revolve around medicine?"

"That's one way of putting it." She looks at him quickly. "I think we should be encouraging her to get out more, not scaring away her suitors."

He chuckles. "Really? _You're _advocating a break from studying?"

Cristina sighs. "I want her to have fun apart from medicine, okay? She hasn't finished pre-med and already she doesn't have a life."

Owen continues to rub her feet. "Yeah, I see it too."

"What was it this guy told me that one time?" Cristina muses. "'Mistakes are how you learn'." She looks at Owen. "I don't think Chloe is making enough mistakes. Maybe Mickey is a mistake, but he's her mistake."

"Fine. I will try to rein in my protective instincts, which I really don't think are that bad." He smiles.

* * *

The air cools as Tuesday night falls in Monaco. Mark and his party are directed to their table in the hotel.

"How is the wedding planning going?" Sofia asks, after the waiter takes their orders.

"Good," Mallory replies. "Right now, we're just waiting for the RSVPs to come in so we can figure out the catering and bartending numbers."

Mark looks at Rob. "It'll be good to catch up with your family. Who's coming?"

He shrugs. "All of my aunts and their families, and Grandma Carolyn."

"Ah." Mark pauses. "So … Lexie will be there?"

"I see what you're doing," Rob chuckles. "Lexie hasn't RSVPed yet, so I don't know if she's bringing a date."

Mallory looks at Mark curiously. "Lexie, huh? I suppose you must know her from Seattle Grace."

"I was in a relationship with her," Mark confesses. "A couple of times."

"That's right!" Sofia puts down her drink and leans closer. "Mom told me that but I don't know the whole story."

"Tell us everything," Mallory insists.

"Oh man." The older man smiles. "We, um, started dating when she was an intern."

"You perv!" Mallory laughs. "You must have been old enough-"

"I wasn't _that _old," Mark says. "Okay. She came on to me, so really, she was the perv."

"I know the type," Rob deadpans.

"Anyways, things were going great, having a younger girlfriend was, how shall I put it … invigorating. We had different ideas about when to get married and stuff, but we stayed together. She moved in after a while. Then Sloan showed up, pregnant."

"Ah, big sister Sloan." Sofia rolls her eyes. "That must have been fun."

"I've heard of her," Mallory says. "Your first daughter."

"Right. I wanted Sloan to keep the baby because I was ready for a family then." Mark looks sorrowful. "Lexie wasn't ready for that. With Lexie and me, bad timing, bad communication drove us apart. She and I broke up, Sloan gave up the baby and disappeared, I kind of dated other women, but I was still in love with Lexie. We finally did get back together, but then Callie discovered she was pregnant with Sofia here. That eventually broke us up again."

"Whoa." Sofia stares at her father. "Weren't you both single when you knocked Mom up?"

"Yes," Mark assures her. "It's just that Lexie was a little tired of me producing kids out of the blue."

"Oh, I thought you had an arrangement with Callie to have babies with her." Mallory says, puzzled.

"Not at first," Mark chuckles. "But since we did so well with Sofia, Callie wanted me to father her next child, too. And to make Arizona and my wife at the time happy, we went through a doctor. Not as fun, but definitely less volatile."

"But poor Lexie," Sofia says.

Mark takes Sofia's hand. "It was complicated enough with your mom and me and Arizona. I don't blame Lexie for walking away."

"And that was it?" Mallory asks.

Mark nods. "Even after I married Tori and moved to LA, Lexie and I would run into each other again and again. But any time that I was single, she was involved with someone else and vice-versa."

"So she's The One that got away?" Sofia asks.

Mark shrugs. "I used to think that, but I'm not sure anymore that she was The One."

"Aw." Mallory smiles sweetly at Mark. "Well, maybe you'll have good timing when you both come to the wedding. Maybe you'll decide once and for all that she is The One. We could put you at the same table at the reception?"

"Uh oh," Rob coughs. "Don't start matchmaking."

"What?" Mallory frowns.

"My parents are hoping Lexie brings a date," Rob confesses. "They think Mark is a bad influence."

"Ha!" Mark grins. "As well they should, after our history." He smiles gently at a puzzled Mallory. "Don't worry about me, young lady. With my kids and my grandchildren, I have _plenty _of family in my life. I also have three ex-wives that I'm paying alimony to. I'm okay without The One."

"I just want you to enjoy yourself at our wedding," she smiles back. "You're Awesome Uncle Mark. And you paid for the ring, after all."

"I'll be fine, Mallory. I'll drink lots of liquor and dance with pretty girls. That means I expect at least one dance with _you_. Now bring me up to speed on Seattle Grace gossip. What do you know?"

* * *

Early Friday morning, Chloe quietly enters the Hunt house, carefully shutting the front door shut behind her. She slips off her jacket and her boots, then tiptoes into the living room.

"How was your date?" Cristina asks as she walks out of the dark kitchen.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Chloe screams and jumps back, flailing. "MOM!"

Cristina laughs and flips on a light. "Shhhhh!"

Chloe gasps and stares at her, wide-eyed. Cristina snickers and shakes her head, as someone turns on the light over the stairs.

"Is everything okay?" Owen sleepily asks from the second floor.

"I scared Chloe in the dark, that's all," Cristina assures him. "Go back to bed."

"Okay. I'll leave the light on."

Cristina nods and sits down on the couch. She grins at Chloe, who is glaring at her. "Now come here and tell me about the date."

"I don't think so," her daughter says frostily. "Why are you up? _You _weren't waiting to interrogate me, were you?"

Cristina snorts. "No, I just got home from the hospital. Sit."

"Fine." Chloe flops down in a chair and sighs. "But I'm not telling you anything."

"Uh huh. Not even if I remind you what I told you years ago?"

"I don't need the sex talk again," the young woman grumbles. "I am about to graduate pre-med, you know."

"I know," Cristina smirks. "I am reminding you that you can tell me things that you don't want your father to know. Like why you are coming home so late."

Chloe shrugs. "We went out to the lighthouse and lost track of the time."

Cristina scrutinizes Chloe's appearance. "Your clothes aren't wrinkled."

"What?"

Cristina smirks. "I'm trying to figure out if you were making out at the lighthouse. Or if you were at his place instead."

Chloe blushes furiously. "We … did some making out at the lighthouse. And we only made out, if you must know"

Her mother tilts her head thoughtfully. "I see."

"It's like…" Chloe sighs. "I don't want to … do certain things too quickly."

Cristina observes Chloe carefully, how she is nervously moving her hands. "Is Mickey okay with you taking things slow?"

Chloe quickly glances at her. "He's not pressuring me, you don't have to sic Dad on him."

"Your dad's job is to help me hide the bodies," Cristina scoffs. Then her expression grows serious as she leans forward. "Look, you're a private person, I get that, Chloe. But if something is bothering you, you can tell me."

Her daughter snorts. "_You _want to talk about feelings?"

"I want to listen," Cristina clarifies. "I never said I was Dear Abby or Ann Landers."

"Who?"

Cristina sighs. "Oh god. Advice columnists in the old days."

"Good night," Chloe says abruptly, standing up.

"It's okay if you're a virgin!" Cristina blurts out, leaping to her feet. "And it's okay if you're not!"

Chloe stares at her, blushing furiously. "I do _not_ want to talk about _that_ with _you_!"

"Then who do you want to talk with? JoJo? Mallory? Meredith?" Cristina lays a hand on her daughter's arm. "Something is bothering you."

Chloe sighs heavily. "Fine." She goes back to the living room and sits down. Cristina sits down across from her, leaning forward, arms propped on her knees.

Chloe draws in a deep breath. "I asked him if he wanted to date long-distance when I go back to Northwestern and he said 'no'. He doesn't want to be exclusive to someone who isn't around."

"Oh." Cristina blinks.

Her daughter shrugs. "Well, we had fun this week."

"I see," Cristina says. "So you're not going to see him again?"

Chloe looks up at her quickly. "Not before I go back to school. He's working the evening shifts this weekend. I don't know about when school ends and I come back to Seattle."

Cristina nods.

"You can tell Dad I'm not seeing him again until school is out, at least," Chloe says quickly. "Just … tell him that."

"Wise choice," Cristina chuckles. Then she grows serious. "It's Mickey's loss if he doesn't want to be in a relationship with you. And I'm proud of you for not rushing things if you don't want to."

Chloe looks up at her and smiles softly. "Thanks Mom."

"Do you need a hug?" Cristina smiles.

"No," Chloe chuckles, standing up. "I'm going to bed now."

"I'll be right behind you." Cristina turns off the lights before she goes upstairs and quietly enters the master bedroom. She quickly pulls off her clothes and pulls on one of Owen's t-shirts, before sliding under the covers.

Owen rolls over and slings an arm around her. "How was her date?"

"It was okay," she sighs, adjusting a pillow. "That was their last date until she gets back from school."

"So … ?"

"They are not dating for now, they just had fun this break, go back to sleep." Cristina closes her eyes.

Owen raises himself on one arm. "Meaning?"

"Oh my god." Cristina sighs. She considers her words. "Chloe is a smart woman, just like we raised her to be. Mama bear is proud of her cub and wants papa bear to go back to sleep."

"Sorry." Owen kisses her cheek. "I just-"

"Enough!" Cristina rolls over and stares up at Owen. "I'm going to have to distract you, aren't I?"

He chuckles and kisses her again. "What do you have in mind?"

"Hmmm…" Cristina slides her hands up his chest. "Let's start with you. You're overdressed …"

**Author's note: I **_**promise **_**I will explain the birthday party incident in another chapter.** :-)


	6. The Best Laid Plans

Cristina smirks as she looks inside Chloe's bedroom, where Owen is changing the sheets. "You know, you could get her to change her own bedding when she gets here."

He shakes his head and chuckles. "I just want things to be nice for her. The first of our kids to graduate college!"

"Uh huh. Have you been able to find out what she wants for a graduation present?"

Owen shakes his head. "She just says she'd rather we donate money to charity."

"Well, it's not like Harvard is going to be cheap," Cristina muses. "I booked the flights and hotel for her graduation."

"Good." Owen pauses. "Has anyone said anything about JoJo?"

"Yep." She sighs. "Miami has kicked her out. Why?"

"I don't want to brag too much about Chloe around Derek," he confesses.

She snickers. "Yeah, Meredith doesn't want to hear about our superstar daughter at the moment."

* * *

Meredith enters the house after a long day. She follows the sound of the TV to the living room, where JoJo is stretched out on the couch.

"Hey," JoJo waves, eyes glued on the TV.

"Good evening." Meredith sits down. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Yours?"

"Busy." Meredith stretches. "My neck is killing me, could you give me a massage?"

"Sure." JoJo sits up and grabs a bottle of lotion off of the coffee table, while her mother strips down to her t-shirt. Meredith moans appreciatively as JoJo's hands work on her tight muscles.

"So." Meredith clears her throat. "What did you get done today?"

"Not much," her daughter replies. "I loaded up the dishwasher but there's no soap."

"Did you think about going to get some?"

"I did, but there was a marathon of my favorite show," JoJo says, pointing to the TV. "I can go get some tomorrow."

"Okay." Meredith takes a deep breath. "JoJo, what are your plans?"

"I plan on going shopping tomorrow."

Her mother frowns. "I meant, your plans for the future."

"I dunno." JoJo shrugs.

"Have you thought about getting a job?"

"Why?" JoJo brushes her blonde bangs out of her eyes. "You kicking me out?"

"No. But what you need to do is go outside once in a while, instead of spending all of your time on the couch."

"I'm going out tonight with my friends." Her daughter continues to massage Meredith's shoulders, her talented hands releasing stored tension.

"And how are you paying?"

JoJo shrugs. "If you're young and hot, you don't have to pay for anything."

"What does that mean?" Meredith feels a sense of dread.

"You know … you just smile at men in a certain way and they're only too happy to buy you a drink or let you in for free." JoJo notices how her mother is tensing up. "I don't sleep with them, Mom. But since I don't have a job and you don't believe in huge trust funds, I flirt to get by. It's ridiculously easy."

"That sounds really cold."

"I'm not forcing anyone to buy me a drink," JoJo says absently. "And I'm not trading sex for favors. I smile at them and make them feel important and they buy me drinks. I'm just working the system, that's all."

Meredith stares ahead, pensively. Finally, she speaks. "Are you happy?"

Startled, JoJo pauses. "Not really."

"What would make you happy?"

JoJo sighs. "I don't know. I'm sure eventually I'll snap out of this, find some direction in my life, become a responsible member of society."

"And until then …"

"I'll coast by on my good looks, wrapping stupid men around my finger, same as always." The bitterness in JoJo's voice startles Meredith, who turns and stares at her daughter as if seeing her for the first time.

"Isn't there something you can do besides watching TV or partying?" Meredith finally asks. "Do Rob and Mallory need any help with the wedding?"

JoJo shrugs. "I could plan the bachelorette party. I do know how to have a good time."

"What is going on?" Meredith asks.

"Nothing!" JoJo rolls her eyes. "I got kicked out of school, I don't know what I want to do with my future, so nothing is going on. For now, I'm just doing the things that I'm good at. Sitting around being depressed or partying. I'll let you know if I think of something new to do."

* * *

Mallory Hunt wearily opens the door to her apartment, carrying a basket. "Hey," she calls out. "I've got leftover cake, want some?"

"Sure!" A tall blonde man, clad in a black shirt and faded jeans, steps into the kitchen. "I'm always in the mood for cake!"

She gapes for a second, before putting down the cake. She throws open her arms and squeals. "Jonah!"

"Hurricane!" Laughing, he hugs her and lifts her up.

"Cake!" Rob enters the kitchen and goes straight to the basket.

"Oh my god!" Mallory grins as Jonah sets her back down. "Look at you, you grew your hair out! You are turning into a hottie!"

"Thanks," he smiles bashfully.

"What are you doing in Paris? Why didn't I know you were coming?"

"You could say that I'm doing the 'young questing artist' thing," he says. "I decided to come over on a whim. I've signed up for some painting workshops and I want to explore the local art scene. Rob says you're the expert."

"We should totally go to some galleries together," she enthuses. "Rob hates that stuff."

"I'm just not that into old paintings," Rob protests. "Great cake, by the way."

"Uh huh," Mallory says absently, leading Jonah into the living room by taking his arm. Rob frowns as he watches them leave.

* * *

The knocking on her bedroom door wakes JoJo up. She groans as she checks the time on her clock. "Who the hell is waking me up at 9 o'clock?"

"Me!" Chloe shouts through the door.

"Come in!"

Her friend opens the door and enters. "Hi!"

"Hi," the blonde woman mutters, sitting up. "Why are you here?"

"Nice to see you too!" Chloe carefully steps around the piles of clothing and sits on JoJo's bed. "We haven't seen each other since we got back to Seattle, so I thought I would come over."

"Okay," JoJo yawns. "So what's new?"

"I got that summer job I e-mailed you about, the research assistant one at Seattle Presbyterian," Chloe enthuses. "Okay, a lot of it is data entry, but it's for this new drug trial on clotting disorders, it's really fascinating."

"Uh huh."

"And then I'm volunteering again at the free clinic." She pauses. "So what about you?"

JoJo shrugs. "I got nothing going on."

"Aren't you lifeguarding again this summer?"

"Nope." The blonde woman stretches. "I'm just trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life."

Chloe nods, sombrely. "What do you think you'll do?"

"I don't know." JoJo yawns and leans against her headboard.

Chloe clears her throat. "I wish you had been able to come to Northwestern for my graduation. It was strange not having you there."

"Sorry." JoJo looks away. "I don't really want to have anything to do with any school, right now."

Chloe watches her silently.

JoJo sits up straighter. "I do know one thing I want to do … organize the bachelorette party."

"What?" Chloe frowns. "I'm the maid of honor, remember?"

"But you don't know how to throw a great party," JoJo says absently. Seeing the hurt expression on Chloe's face, she places a placating hand on her friend's arm. "I know you don't like to go to bars that much so I thought I would help you out. Me, I got connections. I know the guy that owns Toulouse and he's willing to give us a great deal."

"JoJo!" The other woman sighs. "First, I have already been planning the party. And second, we can't have the party at a bar."

"Bachelorette parties are supposed to be fun and involve liquor." JoJo rolls her eyes. "So why not at a bar? It's all arranged."

"But the bride is twenty years old," Chloe points out. "Mallory can't even be in Toulouse."

JoJo blinks. Then smiles. "I'll talk to Al, I'm sure he'll overlook-"

"No." Chloe crosses her arms. "No, you can't ask your friend to break the law, and no, you can't override me and plan the party. I am capable to planning something more exciting than a tea party, you know."

"Really." The two women stare at each other.

"Why would you think it's okay to do this?" Chloe asks.

"Because you're stuck in the last century," JoJo complains. "I want to do something for the wedding and I want it to be fun."

"Then throw a party for Rob," Chloe shrugs. "You're the Best Woman, do something for the groom."

"Jonah has already got a plan that he says is 'guys only'."

"Now who's stuck in the last century?" Chloe smirks. "Crash the party! Or … what about the wedding shower? I was thinking we could organize it together, but if you want, you can take the lead."

Frustrated, JoJo glares at Chloe. "Why won't you let me have my party?"

"Why won't you even ask me what I have planned?" Chloe retorts. "You're trying to override me and I don't like that."

"Fine." JoJo runs a hand through her blonde hair. "What do you have planned?"

"We're going to have the party at Callie and Arizona's house. They've got the hot tub, the pool, the game room, the bar," Chloe says. "Mallory loves the idea and is already planning the menu. She promises she's going to knock us out with her food."

"Is she seriously going to cook for her own shower?"

"My control freak of a sister? _Yes_," Chloe grins. "This is about doing what the bride likes to do at a location where alcohol can be served, and Callie has that huge custom kitchen. And they promise they won't card Mallory or her friends, we just have to make sure everyone gets home safely. If you want to help, you can start by getting a good deal on the liquor."

"We can't have the party there," JoJo mutters, looking down.

"Why not?"

"Arizona won't let a male stripper into her house."

Her friend blinks at her. "Stripper?"

"What, the bride doesn't like strippers?"

Amused, Chloe grins. "I'm sure she does. But why does there have to be-"

"To make the party epic!" JoJo throws up her hands in frustration. "_I _want to have a party that people will talk about for years."

"I don't think you even like Mallory," Chloe snorts. "You want an epic party, throw it for someone else."

JoJo shrugs. "She's okay."

"I think her party should be organized by someone who thinks she's more than okay," Chloe smiles gently. "Like her sister. Me."

The other woman purses her lips. "Can we have the wedding shower wherever I want?"

"As long as the bride isn't legally barred from attending, sure." Chloe pauses. "But you do realize our parents will be there."

"Then I'll make sure there is plenty of booze for our moms."

Chloe laughs. "Now you're talking. Oh! Speaking of parties …"

"What?"

"Mickey is having a house party this weekend and has invited both of us to it."

"What?" JoJo rolls her eyes. "You're not back with him, are you?"

"No," Chloe says, looking away. "But maybe he wants to date again and so –"

"Chloe." JoJo sits up straight and looks directly at her friend. "You are a woman who has no clue of how beautiful she is. If you knew your full potential and acted on it, you wouldn't be chasing after Pizza Boy, you would be getting chased."

"Stop calling him that. Not everyone has rich doctors for parents like we do."

"Fine." JoJo smiles gently at her friend. "Let me do your hair and make-up for the party, and then I'll come with you. Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

"Hey hey!" Mallory bounds into the apartment, with Jonah following. She kisses Rob in greeting. "How was your shift?"

"Good." He looks quizzically at his cousin, who is dressed in new clothes. "What happened to you? Is – is that an earring?"

Jonah nods bashfully while Mallory grins. "I gave him a makeover," she tells Rob. "It's part of his new 'tortured artist' phase."

"I like it," Jonah says. "I've wanted an earring for a while but never had the nerve to go through with it."

"Hurricane Mallory strikes again," Rob laughs. "What else did you do today?"

"Oh!" Mallory places a hand on Jonah's arm, a gesture that does not go unnoticed by Rob. "So we spent the morning shopping and then we went to that little gallery by my school and then I posed for some pictures for Jonah's portfolio."

"Pictures?"

"She's a great model," Jonah says. "It's hard to take a bad photo of Mallory."

"Uh huh." Rob watches how closely Jonah stands by Mallory. "What kind of pictures?"

"Oh, just me sitting by the river," she says, removing her jacket. "We were thinking of doing some tonight, outside. And I was thinking, we should get Jonah to take some photos of the two of us. We don't have an engagement photo."

"Uh huh," Rob says absently, watching Mallory again.

"What?" She looks confused. "Don't you want some photos of us?"

"You don't have to pay me," Jonah says. "I'm going to give Mallory copies of her photos in exchange for me eating here tonight."

"Ah," Rob smiles.

"I'm going to change before I start cooking and splattering," Mallory announces. She pulls off her sweater, revealing a tight tank top underneath. It does a poor job of concealing her red lacy bra. Jonah's eyes widen while Rob's narrow.

"I'll pick out what we're going to wear in our engagement photo," she informs Rob. "I want us to complement each other, but not be too matchy-matchy, you know?" In the awkward silence, she realizes that something is wrong. "What? You want to pick out our clothes?"

"I'm going downstairs!" Jonah exclaims. "For ... coffee!" He grabs his jacket and hastily leaves.

"What?" Mallory turns to Rob. "Say, what do you think of him staying with us for a month until we go back to the States?"

Rob shakes his head. "No."

"Um, okay." Mallory looks puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"This is a small apartment," Rob tells her. "I like having our privacy."

"He's your cousin," she counters, eyes wide. "He's family."

"Do _you _know he's family?"

"What does that mean?" Mallory stares at him for a moment, before realization dawns. "You think something is going on between us?"

"You spent the day making him a hottie," Rob counters. "You don't do that with me."

"_Oh my god_," she laughs. "You're already hot. We can go get you an earring too, if you like. Or some highlights."

"That's not my point," he says. "You were ... touching his arm. A lot. And you just stripped down in front of him."

"Please." She rolls her eyes. "You know how you never wanted to date Chloe because she's like a sister? Jonah's like a brother to me."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh." She nods. "Rob, come on. The only time I've shared a bed with Jonah is when we were kids having a sleepover."

"Okay. But I would prefer that Jonah doesn't stay with us," Rob tells her. "I know I can't stop you from feeding him, but I don't want a roommate."

"He's your cousin."

"And you are loud in bed," he says with a smile. "Look, he's not hardcore Mormon, but do you think he really wants to listen to us having sex for a month? Even if I muzzle you, it's a very small apartment and he'll know."

"Like you could ever silence me," Mallory smirks. "Oh, I get what you're saying and you're right. We'd have to tone things down. He can sleep at the hostel or wherever."

"And he doesn't get to see your bra. He almost fainted when you took off your sweater."

She rolls her eyes. "It's like my dad is standing here. Fine. I shall shield him from my undergarments."

"Are you seriously letting me get my way on something?" Rob chuckles. "That was too easy."

"Don't get used to it."

* * *

Cristina sighs as she hands Meredith a drink. "Remember when we were the ones getting all dolled up to go out and hit on hot men?"

Derek smirks. "You ladies are lucky. Your hot men are right here." He gestures around the Hunt living room. Owen raises his beer bottle in agreement.

The women exchange an amused look, as they sit down next to their spouses.

"Do you really want to go out into the dating scene again?" Owen asks Cristina, as he rubs her arm. "There are a lot of losers out there. They can't handle a woman like you."

"And you can?" She smirks. He laughs good-naturedly and leans in for a kiss.

"Okay, good night!" Chloe comes downstairs, followed by JoJo. They wave as they make their way to the door.

"Hold on!" Owen stands up and walks over.

"It's the Papa Bear Show!" Derek loudly whispers.

"I have my cell phone, I have cash, thanks for letting us borrow your car, Mom, and good night, Dad!" Chloe informs him.

Owen smiles. "And you're going...?"

"To a house party," Chloe informs him.

"Hey Chloe!" Derek yells out.

"Yeah?"

"Don't let JoJo get you into too much trouble," he grins. "We're counting on you to bring her home in one piece."

"Don't I always?" Chloe chuckles.

Grim-faced, JoJo grabs her purse and quickly exits the house.

"Derek!" Meredith punches his shoulder. "That wasn't nice."

"Um, we're going to be late," Chloe says. She quickly kisses her father on the cheek before leaving.

"What am I supposed to say?" Derek asks. "JoJo spends her days watching TV and then she goes out and gets drunk every night. I'm tired of waiting for her to snap out of it."

"Take her fishing," Meredith says. "It worked for Cristina."

Cristina laughs, while her husband sits down beside her again. "Are things that bad?" Owen asks.

"I can't believe how much potential she's wasting," Derek says. "It's like she is determined to be a failure."

"Or maybe she's got too much Grey in her," Meredith muses. "I think we should encourage her to go travel the world, really taste life in all of its flavours, get to know herself better."

"And I think she'd just use that opportunity to taste every possible kind of liquor ever made," Derek says.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Cristina smirks. "Rob and Meredith both did that and survived."

Owen looks thoughtful. "There are many ways to see the world besides just partying around it. There are lots of volunteering opportunities, for example. I could look into some, if you like."

Derek shakes his head. "I think you'd be wasting your time."

* * *

A few hours later, JoJo sighs as she tries to walk around a crowded living room, in search of Chloe. She makes her way through the kitchen and into an empty sun porch, desperate for some fresh air.

"Not having a good time?"

She whirls around to see Mickey standing in the doorway. He holds out a beer bottle, which she takes.

"Thanks," she mutters, twisting off the cap. "Your party is okay, I just don't know anyone and I need some fresh air."

"It's okay." He steps next to her, letting his eyes roam over her tight black dress. "You're looking really hot tonight."

She side-glances at him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiles at her. "I want to make sure you enjoy yourself at my party."

"Uh huh." She drinks from the bottle. "So why did you invite us? Do you want to get back with Chloe?"

"No," he shakes his head, with a mysterious smile.

"So why invite us? Little Miss Perfect isn't into house parties."

Mickey tilts his head. "'Little Miss Perfect'?"

JoJo takes another sip. "Chloe just graduated with honors, of course. She spends her days at an exciting job when she isn't volunteering. Nobody is ever on her case, telling her what she needs to change in her life."

"I thought you were best friends," Mickey says, handing her another glass. "But I never understood that."

"Huh?"

He shrugs, looking at his beer. "From high school. You were very popular and you were always surrounded by the cool kids. It didn't make sense that you were friends with Chloe, you're so different."

"Tell me about it!" JoJo snorts. "She never acted out or got into trouble, in fact our parents counted on her to keep me out of jail. She was an athlete and a basketball star and I cheered from the sidelines."

"You were never on the sidelines," he tells her, softly. "Every guy in the school wanted to have you."

JoJo glances at him again. "Thanks."

"In fact," Mickey says, inching in closer. "I really wanted to date you. But I thought you'd never go out with a guy like me."

"Oh." JoJo takes another drink. "To be honest, I don't remember you. Sorry."

"That's okay," he smiles. "Maybe we can get to know each other now?" He places a hand on JoJo's curvy rear end.

"Whoa." She turns and faces him. "You're coming on to me?"

He smiles.

JoJo holds up a hand. "No thanks."

"Come on." He spreads his hands. "Is it because I went out with Chloe?"

"No, I'm just not interested," JoJo tells him, taking a step back.

Mickey grins. "Chloe's okay, but you're right, she's a very good girl. Too afraid to have a good time. But you're not afraid of that, are you?"

"I know I don't want to have a 'good time' with you," she sneers.

Angry, he moves closer. "Oh like you're some pure virgin. I know exactly the kind of girl you are. Back in high school, you were spreading your legs-"

JoJo slaps him. Mickey's face contorts with fury, and he steps closer, cornering her.

"Get away from her!" They both turn to see Chloe standing in the doorway of the sun porch.

"Hey, no problem," Mickey says smoothly, stepping back.

"Fuck you," JoJo mutters, quickly moving past him. "Chloe, we're leaving."

"Agreed." Chloe gives Mickey one dismissive look before leaving.

* * *

Chloe is stoically silent as she drives, which JoJo attributes to her reaction to Mickey's behaviour.

"Oh my God, what a jerk," JoJo says, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Thanks for showing up when you did. I mean, I'm sure I could have handled myself, I did take martial arts classes with you, but thanks anyways."

"Uh huh," Chloe says tightly, gripping the steering wheel.

JoJo looks at her. "I'm sorry you had to see him be such an asshole, but now you know what kind of guy he really is. You are better off without him in your life."

"I know." Chloe keeps her eyes forward.

JoJo nods and smiles, lightly touching Chloe's right hand. She's surprised that her friend flinches at her touch.

"So ..." JoJo looks at the neighbourhood. "What do you say about me spending the night at your house? Liked we used to?"

"No," Chloe says. "You can get a ride home with your parents."

"Oh come on." JoJo replies. "We haven't had a sleepover in years..."

Chloe swallows. "No. We are not having a slumber party. You can not stay at my house. 'Little Miss Perfect' doesn't want to see you again tonight. Or ever, really."

JoJo's blood turns cold as she stammers. "Oh shit, you heard. Look, I didn't mean it-"

"You meant it." Chloe's voice is cool and controlled. "I think that was the most honest that you've been in a long time."

"But – I've been drinking and I-"

"Oh shut up!" Chloe glances at her then, scornfully. "I am so sick of your excuses. You were the one who got yourself kicked out of school, not me, you know. You're the one keeping your fat ass on your parents' couch, not me. You want to throw away your life? Go ahead. But don't complain about me actually doing something. And having morals."

"Chloe, I'm sorry," JoJo begs, tears starting to run down her face. "Please, can't we forget what I said?"

"No." Chloe turns a corner. "I never want to see you again."

"We're best friends!" JoJo protests.

"We are not!" Chloe snarls. "You haven't acted like one in a long time. You're always criticizing me, ignoring what I want, you don't even make much effort to communicate with me any more."

"I can change," JoJo insists, grabbing her arm. "Please Chloe, don't do this to me."

Chloe jerks her arm away. "Don't touch me. Especially while I'm driving. I am better off without Mickey and I am better off without you."

JoJo watches her in horror, feeling the magnitude of her actions. "Chloe-"

"Shut up."

"I want to tell you-"

"Shut up."

"i want to tell you something about me-"

"I said, shut up," Chloe snarls.

* * *

"Not that I'm getting involved," Meredith says, slightly slurring. "But is the wedding planning finished?"

Owen grins. "I think we're in the calm before the storm. Once Mallory comes home and starts going over everything with Alexandra, we'll start revising every single detail."

The front door slams and Chloe comes storming into the living room, angry and red-faced. A weeping JoJo follows her.

The parents watch, stunned, as Chloe storms upstairs and JoJo collapses at the foot of the staircase. Owen reacts first, leaping to his feet and running up the stairs.

Meredith stands and goes over to where JoJo is lying, in a sobbing heap. Derek joins her, watching their daughter in confusion. Meredith crouches down next to JoJo, and starts to stroke her hair. "What happened?"

Upstairs, Owen knocks on Chloe's bedroom door. "It's Dad," he announces.

"Go away!" She shouts through the door. "I don't want to talk with her!"

"She's downstairs," he replies, looking behind him. Cristina is climbing the stairs, looking concerned. "Your mom is upstairs."

"I want to be alone!" Chloe yells.

Cristina tests the door handle. "She locked us out," she mutters.

"I'm not leaving until you talk with me," Owen announces through the door, crossing his arms.

"Don't make us pick the lock!" Cristina adds.

Derek walks upstairs and waves. "We're taking her home now," he quietly informs them. "I'll call if I can get any information out of her."

* * *

"You're sure you don't want to come along?" Mallory asks Rob, as he holds out her jacket for her.

"I'm sure," he says. "You'll enjoy the paintings so much more without me."

"What are you going to do when it's time to expose our children to the arts?"

He grins. "I'll show them my comic book collection."

They laugh. "Well, have a good day," she murmurs, kissing him. "If you change your mind about the earring, let me know."

"Yeah, I saw how red Jonah's ear was last night. No thanks." He kisses her. "You'd better go, he's waiting outside."

"I know." Mallory's phone chirps. She pulls it out and glances at it. "Huh. An 'urgent' message from Chloe." She puts down her bag and starts reading the message on her phone. Rob watches Mallory's face change from amusement to concern.

"What … ?" Mallory looks up at Rob. "Chloe says we have to ban JoJo from the wedding or she's not going to be the maid of honor!"


	7. The Maid of Honour

_Twelve weeks before the wedding_

Rob sighs as Mallory checks her email for the fifth time in an hour. "Any news?"

"Not really." She frowns as she looks at the screen. "Chloe is still ignoring me. Dad says she left the house before anyone got up so they don't know what happened last night. How about you?"

"I got nothing. JoJo hasn't returned any of my calls or messages and Dad says she spent the night crying in bed without talking."

Mallory rubs her temples. "I wish we weren't on another continent. I need to know what is going on."

Rob moves behind her and starts massaging her shoulders. "They've been best friends forever. They'll work it out."

"They'd better."

"Did you know that Chloe is the one that named my sister 'JoJo'?"

"I did not know that." Mallory closes her eyes and leans back, as he continues to work on her muscles.

"It's true. Chloe couldn't say 'Johanna' when she started to talk, so she called her 'JoJo' and then everyone began calling her that. Their friendship goes back a long way."

"What if they can't make up?" Mallory asks sadly. "Are we supposed to pick which of our sisters is in the wedding?"

"Maybe they're like our moms?" Rob smiles. "They won't talk for a while and then they'll just decide to speak to each other again as if nothing happened."

"I doubt it will be that easy."

* * *

Chloe quietly enters the Hunt house, after her morning run. Sighing, she sees that her parents are waiting for her in the living room. "Good morning," she mutters, before entering the kitchen. Owen and Cristina stand and join her.

"We respect that you don't want to talk," Owen says quietly. "But you owe your sister some kind of explanation. You dropped a bombshell on her last night and she's very upset."

"I have a headache," Chloe says. "And I think JoJo should explain everything; it's her fault."

Cristina shakes her head. "JoJo has been too busy crying to talk." She rummages in a cupboard and pulls out a bottle of ibuprofen. "Take some of these. We'll be in the living room."

Owen smiles softly at Chloe before pouring her a glass of water and then leaving. He sits down next to Cristina as she checks her phone. They look up as Diego saunters downstairs.

"Any news?" Diego gestures to the kitchen.

"No. How many times has Mallory called you?" Cristina smirks.

The teenager thinks. "10?"

"Oh come on." Chloe emerges from the kitchen and crosses her arms. "That bad?"

"That bad," he assures her. "_Please_ talk to her."

"Or we could call her for you," Owen suggests. "Just tell us what to say."

"Do you want to talk to just your dad?" Cristina asks. "We can leave the room."

"No, no." Chloe sits down across from her parents. Diego takes a seat next to her. "Let's get this over with."

"Start from the beginning," Owen prompts. "Where did you go?"

"Mickey's house," she admits. "He invited both of us to a party. But don't worry, I am definitely never _ever_ going to see him again."

Owen frowns as Cristina sighs.

"You can do better than him," Diego assures his sister.

"So Mickey did something?" Owen asks.

Chloe rubs her forehead. "I couldn't find JoJo after a while, so I went looking for her. I figured she would be bored. I found her in a sun porch, talking with Mickey. They didn't know I was there."

She struggles to gain control of her emotions. "I overheard JoJo talking about me to Mickey. She called me 'Little Miss Perfect'. She stood there and she bitched about me, about how 'perfect' I am, what with graduating with honours and never getting into trouble. It was really ... nasty."

Owen places a hand on Cristina's arm as she starts to glower. Diego shakes his head in disbelief.

"And then Mickey hit on JoJo, because I'm a 'very good girl' and he said she isn't," Chloe mutters. Her parents wince as Diego listens, wide-eyed.

"And ... what, JoJo made out with him?" Cristina looks furious.

"Hardly." Chloe shakes her head. "She wasn't interested and that made him mad and he started to corner her and that's when I spoke up. I told him to back off and he did and we left."

"So Mickey didn't hurt either of you?" Owen asks. "Nobody laid a finger on you?"

"No." Chloe grimaces. "You were right about her. You have been telling me for years that she takes advantage of me and she isn't the friend she could be. I knew,_ I knew_ that she thinks I'm this boring little bookworm but I kept telling myself that she's my best friend. No more!"

"Wow." Diego looks down at the floor.

"Did you talk with her?" Owen leans forward. "Did she say anything?"

"She made excuses, like she always does," his daughter replies. "She said she was drunk, she didn't mean it, whatever. I've deleted like ten voice mails from her. I didn't bother listening to them."

"I want to slap some sense into her," Cristina seethes. "What a two-faced brat. Owen, get your keys."

He holds up a hand. "Cristina, you can't smack her around."

"Why not?" Cristina explodes. "She hurt Chloe! Nobody disses our kids like that!"

"I know, I know. You think this doesn't make me mad?" He sighs and looks at Chloe. "I'm sorry, hon. You've always done your best to give JoJo the benefit of the doubt. Though I never imagined that she was that ... do you have any idea of what prompted that? Is it that she just doesn't like you?"

"How should I know?" Chloe mutters. "I feel stupid. How many times have you pointed out all the little ways that she screws me over, like always going back on her promises? How many times has she criticized the way that I dress? I am so sick of her picking at me! She doesn't get to do that to me any more."

"Attagirl," Cristina says. "Has Mallory said anything about the wedding?"

"No, she just wants me to call her." Chloe sighs. "I can't stand up there next to Mallory and look at JoJo. I really can't."

Owen frowns. "I can't imagine the Shepherds would be okay with JoJo being banned from the wedding."

"Not my problem!" Chloe says, before standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

Derek quietly prepares lunch in his kitchen. He looks up when JoJo slowly enters the room, eyes swollen from crying.

"Hey. Good morning." He watches her with concern, noticing her fragile posture.

"Morning," she mutters, opening the fridge.

"Did I wake you? I tried to keep the noise down."

"I couldn't sleep," she says, sitting down with an orange.

He nods, before sitting down across from her. "Please tell me what happened last night."

"I realized that I am a shallow, selfish, miserable excuse of a human being," his daughter announces, as she begins to peel the fruit. "Also, I suck as a friend."

Derek watches her, silently.

"I suppose you've already been told something," she says.

"Owen phoned half an hour ago," he affirms, gently. "Before I call your mother and fill her in, I want to hear your side of the story. Like what exactly did this Mickey guy do to you?"

"He got me saying things that I should not have said about Chloe, he came on to me, and he said some things about both of us that were not nice. I slapped him."

Derek watches the dishevelled young woman in front of him, noticing how she can't make eye contact as her hands shakily tear apart the orange. He is stunned to see this side of his daughter, instead of her usual confident persona. "Are you okay?" Derek asks.

"No," she answers candidly. "My former best friend overheard me being a total bitch and she never wants to see me again. No, I am not okay."

"But what about Mickey cornering you?"

"He was no worse than any jerk at a club," JoJo says. "He grabbed my ass but nothing else."

"That doesn't make me feel better," he sighs.

"Sorry." She continues to pick apart the segments. "Anyways. I could not sleep at all, wondering what I could do to make things right."

"Oh?"

"I don't have an answer," she admits. "I want to go over later and see if Chloe will speak to me. And, I'm going to make some changes. I am going to get a job, any job, so I will do something other than sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I want to try being not so self-centred and depressed and bitchy."

"Okay." Derek breathes. "This is a lot to take in."

"I know, right?"

He watches her. "Have you spoken with Rob or Mallory? Anyone?"

JoJo shakes her head. "Rob left me a bunch of messages asking me to call him. I guess he knows?"

"He knows there was a fight." Her father winces. "Chloe wants you banned from the wedding or she won't be there."

"Oh god." JoJo stares at him, blue eyes wide. "I didn't think about the wedding. I've _really_ fucked things up."

Derek watches her hands drop the orange. She shakes her head in disbelief, her eyes starting to fill with fresh tears. She tries to say something but chokes up. He quickly stands and wraps his arms around his daughter as she starts to sob.

* * *

Rob and Mallory stare at her laptop, where Derek and Owen are explaining the situation via video chat.

"And that's why they're fought last night," Derek concludes. "JoJo feels terrible about what she said."

"She _should_!" Mallory declares vehemently. "Nobody talks like _that_ about my sister!"

"Oh man." Rob rubs his forehead. "What a mess."

Owen leans towards the camera. "From our years of living with the Twisted Sisters, we have some advice ... stay out of it."

"'_Stay out of it_'?" Mallory explodes. "Our wedding is being affected by this!"

"The wedding is in three months," Derek points out. "Try to be patient and let the two of them work things out."

"'Work things out'?" She shakes her head. "After what JoJo said?"

"I know you're angry, I am too," Owen says. "But, they are both part of our families and we can't get involved."

Mallory sits back in her chair and stonily looks away.

"Okay." Rob rubs his hands through his hair. "Thank you for explaining all of this. We should log off, it's getting late here."

Derek nods. "Say hi to Jonah."

"Mallory." Owen is stern. "Take some time to digest this and _don't_ say anything to JoJo until you can do so calmly. Yelling at her will make things worse."

She glances at the screen and nods frostily. Rob waves before closing the connection. He sits back and looks at his fuming fiancée.

He takes one of her slim hands. "I'm angry about what JoJo said too, okay? But she's my sister. I'm going to cool off and then I'll call her. I really want to know what the hell is wrong with her."

"She's _evil_."

"She's my sister," he reminds her, softly. "Call your mom, commiserate with Chloe, vent about this with whomever, do what you need to. But please refrain from calling my sister names around me, okay?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes." He kisses her cheek. "This really sucks."

"It does."

* * *

Cristina looks up as Chloe storms into her home office.

"JoJo is here with Meredith," her daughter announces, pointing to the door. "I saw them drive in. Get rid of them."

"My pleasure," Cristina says grimly, as she stands. Her daughter nods and leaves the room.

The doorbell rings. Cristina opens it and stares at JoJo, who is meekly standing on the doorstep, with Meredith behind her. JoJo's face is ravaged by tears and exhaustion.

"Go away," Cristina tells JoJo. "You're not welcome here."

"I'm sorry," JoJo says. "I want to apologize to Chloe."

Angry, Cristina shakes her head. "She doesn't want to talk with you."

"_Please_," JoJo begs, tearfully. "I know I was wrong. I want her to know that."

"I'll pass the message along," Cristina says, crossing her arms across her chest. "But you can't come in."

Meredith folds her own arms. "_Cristina._ JoJo is very sorry and she's really upset to know that this is affecting the wedding."

"She should be!" With that, Cristina closes the front door and locks it.

Meredith puts a hand on JoJo's shoulder. "It's too soon."

JoJo shakes her head. "I really fucked up, Mom."

"You're a Grey, you're genetically programmed to fuck up," her mother says.

JoJo looks at her. "Do you hate me?"

"No." Meredith squeezes her shoulder. "I may hate some of your actions, I may _really_ hate them, but I could never hate you."

* * *

In Paris the next day, Mallory calls Chloe on her lunch break. She grins as her sister answers.

"You're talking to me!' Mallory says. "Finally! How are you?"

"I'm fine," Chloe says, crisply. "Is she out of the wedding yet?"

Taken aback, Mallory pauses and tucks her hair behind her ears. "That ... is not a decision I can make alone. We thought we should give you two some time ..."

"So you're a Shepherd now." Chloe ends the call.

Mallory stares at her phone. Then she quickly dials Rob's number.

"What's up Mal?"

"Um." She nibbles her bottom lip, as a wave of sadness envelops her. "I talked with Chloe. She asked if JoJo is out of the wedding yet. She hung up on me after I said we were going to give them some time. She said I'm a Shepherd now."

"Oh Mallory." She can hear Rob sigh against the background noise of a busy kitchen. "I'm sorry."

She sniffs into the phone, as her eyes fill with tears. "I hate this."

"Me too." He pauses. "Just imagine I'm there with you. I'm putting my arms around you and giving you a big hug."

"Okay." Mallory closes her eyes, willing herself to relax.

"And I'm stroking your hair, which smells terrific, and you're relaxing and not stressing out."

"Uh huh." Mallory smiles a little. "I could use some phone sex to make me feel better..."

Rob laughs. "I'm at _work_." He lowers his voice. "Okay, I'm squeezing your breasts. That's all you're getting for now."

She sighs. "Not enough. Not while our sisters are at war."

The sound of dishes breaking carries over the phone. "I really have to go now," Rob tells her. "Love you."

"Love you." She disconnects the call. An icon pops up, informing her of a text message. She opens it, to read one single word from Chloe: "_Sorry_."

* * *

Rob sits down in front of the computer and adjusts the screen. He waves to his sister, viewing him from a chat window.

"Hey." He tries to hide his surprise at JoJo's appearance, her puffy eyes, her defeated posture. "How are you?"

"Terrible," she mutters. "I screwed up."

"What's going on?"

She looks to the side. "I'm an idiot."

"JoJo..." Rob swallows. "I'm worried about you. Why did you talk about Chloe that way?"

"I don't know," she replies. "I guess ... I've just been ... wrapped up in my shit and not really caring too much about other people. I made a huge mistake."

"Uh huh."

She looks at the camera. "Is Mallory there?"

He shakes his head. "She wanted to give us some privacy, so she's out with Jonah. She's going to introduce him to some of her girlfriends, they want to meet my 'hot American cousin'."

JoJo smiles slightly. "I'm glad he's having fun in Paris. He sent me some beautiful photos."

"It's been great having him here."

"So ... I want to make things right," she says softly. "I'm going to step out of the wedding. You don't have to ban me."

Rob blinks. "What?"

"I won't be in the wedding party," his sister replies. "Chloe can be the maid of honour and not have to look at me. I won't go to the ceremony or the reception."

He shakes his head. "No."

"_Yes_," she insists. "I'm the one who messed up, I should step out so that Chloe can enjoy her sister's wedding."

"But I want _my _sister there." He smiles gently at her image on the computer screen. "I can't get married without you by my side."

"This will be easier for you. I imagine the Hunts hate me."

Rob shakes his head. "Owen is staying out of it, and Mallory ... has agreed not to say nasty things around me."

"But Cristina isn't talking to Mom now and we all know what Chloe thinks of me, as she should."

Rob sighs. "You're sorry, right? You realize that you screwed up and you want to make some changes, right?"

"Right."

"As long as you are sorry and you are trying to change things, you are in the wedding," he tells her. "We have some time to figure this out. You are my Best Woman."

JoJo sighs. "Well, let's give Chloe some time and hopefully I'll think of how to make everything right."

"It was nice of you to try and back out for her sake," he tells her. "Now go have a hot bath or something. You look like crap."

"I _am_ crap."

"Shepherds are not crap," Rob retorts. "I love you and I want you to feel better, okay? Go soak in some bubbles."

"Okay."

_Eleven weeks before the wedding_

With some trepidation, Meredith enters the house after work. She notes that her daughter is not in her usual spot in front of the TV. She walks upstairs and goes into the master bedroom, where JoJo is standing in front of her closet.

"Are you lost?" Meredith asks.

"I need to borrow some clothes," JoJo says. "I have a job interview tomorrow and I have nothing appropriate to wear."

"Oh." Meredith walks over to her side. "What kind of job?"

"Waitressing."

"Since when do you want to be a waitress?"

JoJo sighs. "I need to get a job. I need to get out of the house and do something and I need to pull myself together."

"Okay." Meredith starts rummaging through her clothes.

"I know that this is not what you want," JoJo says quietly. "But I can't stay home and do nothing, Mom."

"I don't want you to sit at home doing nothing and I see nothing wrong with being a waitress." Meredith pulls out a white blouse. "How about this?"

"I guess it's okay. I don't know." JoJo takes the shirt and holds it up against herself. She looks in the mirror. "I've gained weight."

"You were too thin before. Now you look healthy." Meredith turns back to her closet. "Where is this job?"

"At Toulouse, I know the owner."

Her mother raises an eyebrow. "One of your male friends?"

"Who is willing to take a chance on someone who has never waitressed before," JoJo notes. "What?"

"Well." Meredith steels herself. "I think if you want to make a real change with your life, maybe you should find some new friends."

"Al's cool," JoJo assures her. "He's not going to demand flavors from me to get this job."

"That doesn't make me feel less disturbed." Meredith sighs. "You aren't happy, JoJo. I don't think it makes you happy to be 'getting by on your looks' and manipulating men and I don't think it's a good idea for you to work at a club where men will be hitting on you all night long, not right now when you're so ... so ..."

"Messed up?"

"Fragile!" Meredith grabs her shoulder. "You are fragile! You are not in a good head space right now. Your whole family is very worried about you."

"I have to do something!" Her daughter holds up the blouse again. "This is something! I have to get out into the real world and interact with people and figure out how to become a better person and I'm not going to become a better person sitting on a couch waiting to be happy!"

Meredith blinks at the ferocity in her daughter's eyes. She finds herself feeling reassured. "I know just the right skirt to go with that blouse."

"Have you heard anything about Chloe?" JoJo asks. "Is she okay?'

Her mother shrugs as she looks into her closet. "Cristina is avoiding me at the moment, and I haven't seen Owen in a few days."

"Oh."

Meredith pulls out a plum-coloured skirt. "Try this."

* * *

Tentatively, Owen knocks on the door of Chloe's bedroom.

"Come in," she calls out.

Owen quietly enters the room, shutting the door behind him. His daughter is sprawled face down on her bed, her head buried in her arms. He sits down beside her.

"Want anything? Supper?" Owen asks.

She shakes her head.

"I'll just sit here then," he informs her.

"I'm not going to kill myself, you know."

"I know." He looks around her neat and tidy room. "You've been spending a lot of time in here by yourself. I thought I'd keep you company."

Chloe sighs. "Am I a goody two-shoes? A priss?"

"What?"

She rolls over and stares at the ceiling. "Mickey said that I was too afraid to have a good time. He called me a 'very good girl'."

Owen lays down beside her. "That's what jerks say when a woman turns them down."

"Guys don't like me," Chloe says softly. "They like me as a lab partner or in a study group because I can help them, but they don't 'like me' like me."

"Then they're idiots," Owen tells her.

"I'm not pretty."

"You're beautiful."

"I can't have this conversation with you, Dad," she grumbles. "You're not objective. You have always thought I'm perfect."

"But you are perfect to me," he smiles gently. "Oh, you were a challenge growing up, because you had a lot of hard questions, and you took many things apart without knowing how to put them back together again. But any guy who doesn't appreciate you doesn't know what he's missing."

"I am afraid," Chloe muses. "I'm so good because I'm afraid to be bad."

Owen takes her hand. "Chloe, there's nothing wrong with not being bad."

"Guys don't want to date good girls."

"There are good guys out there who can appreciate a woman like you. They're outnumbered by the jerks." Owen rubs her hand. "You remind me a lot of my mother, you know? Everyone thinks that she's a saint. It isn't because she's trying to be good ... she's just not interested in drama. She always wants to see the best in people. I've recognized that in you … you always defended JoJo and it seems to me that you don't act wild because you're just not interested in it. You're too busy pursuing your dreams."

Chloe snorts. "I don't feel like a saint. I really want to punch JoJo, so hard that you'll have to fly Mark Sloan in to fix her nose."

Her father chuckles. "If you break her nose, I'll buy Mark a first class ticket."

"Thanks."

"Can I give you some advice?" Owen asks.

"Sure."

"Don't ever tell your mother that you don't think you're pretty."

Chloe frowns. "Why not?"

"Because you look so much like her." Owen smiles. "And she is beautiful."

* * *

"Dr Grey, your daughter is in your office." a nurse informs Meredith, as she leaves the elevator.

"Thank you." Meredith rapidly walks over to her office and opens the door. She frowns as she sees JoJo sitting in a chair, wiping tears from her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't get the job," JoJo mumbles. "And I just walked 20 blocks in high heels."

"What happened?" Meredith puts her arms around her daughter.

"There was a misunderstanding," JoJo says. "Al didn't want to hire me for Toulouse. He wanted me for his other club - The Scarlet Lantern."

Meredith raises her eyebrows. "The strip club? Please tell me he still wanted you as a waitress."

"My choices were stripper or waitress," JoJo snorts. "And the waitress uniforms there are ... scanty. He told me that he was doing me a favour since I have no experience. I told him to go to hell and he threw me out of his office and I was so upset that I couldn't call a cab so I walked here so I could get a ride home with you."

Meredith strokes her hair. "Did you really walk twenty blocks?"

"Uh huh. My feet are blistered," JoJo whimpers.

"My poor girl." Meredith crouches at her daughter's feet and starts examining them. "I'll get an intern to take care of these."

"The real world sucks," JoJo says. "I hate men and my best friend hates me because I'm a bitch and now I've ruined my brother's wedding and I got kicked out of a party school because I'm like the only Shepherd too dumb for medicine. I suck."

"You can't find a wonderful job after one day of trying," Meredith says. "You'll find something that you're passionate about and that makes you happy. We Grey women may be crazy as hell, but we're also smart and resilient."

_Ten weeks before the wedding_

Derek and Owen nod to each other in the cafeteria. By unspoken agreement, they sit down at a table with their trays.

"Any news?" Derek asks.

Owen shakes his head. "Chloe still won't talk with JoJo or be in the wedding if JoJo is there. Mallory is starting to panic, Rob says she's having asthma attacks again."

Derek sighs. "JoJo has another job interview today but is still depressed. At least she's stopped partying every night. It's nice to come home after a long day and have her give me one of her massages. She pounds the crap out of my back and we both feel better."

"Uh huh."

Derek looks at Owen. "What's going on with Cristina? Meredith and I have noticed that she's shunning us."

"Cristina is avoiding you so she can't say something she'll regret," Owen advises him. "She's still very angry with JoJo."

"Ah. Well, Meredith is mad that Chloe wants JoJo banned, so it's a good thing if they don't talk for a while."

Owen frowns. "Derek, I think it's up to us to save the wedding."

"I was afraid that it would come down to us." Derek runs a hand through his hair. "Got any ideas?"

"Not a clue."

* * *

Walking home from the subway, Rob is pleasantly surprised when JoJo calls him on his cell phone. He quickly answers.

"I got a job today," she breathlessly announces.

"That's great! Where?"

"This women's gym near our house. I'm going to start at the front counter and if they like me, then there is the possibility of getting some training and teaching classes."

"Congratulations!" Rob grins, relieved to hear the joy in her voice. "I'm happy for you."

"I can't wait to see you next week," JoJo says. "I have to ask ... is Mallory even going to talk to me?"

"Yes," he replies. "We've ... had a few talks with our dads about not getting involved. And we've talked with each other about how we should try to be friendly with each others sisters and not make things worse. Mallory will be civil and I will play nice with Chloe."

"Why wouldn't you be friendly with Chloe?"

He sighs. "Because this is not fair to me. She's demanding that my sister not be at my wedding when I did nothing wrong. And the longer this goes on, Mallory is getting more and more anxious. She's having asthma attacks almost daily, and she can't sleep and she's barely eating. Which is not good because she has her last exam today and she needs to focus. I've tried to call Chloe and tell her this, but she's not speaking to me either."

"I'm sorry," his sister says. "I know I keep saying it but it's true."

"I know." Rob enters the apartment building. "Maybe Chloe will be more flexible if she can see in person how this is affecting Mallory."

"I hope so." She pauses. "Mom and Dad just pulled in, I gotta go tell them about my job."

"Congratulations again."

_Nine weeks before the wedding_

Derek and Owen meet in the cafeteria for coffee.

"JoJo is liking her job so far, she's looking better, and she hasn't been late once," Derek reports. "Which for her is a record. Meredith is happier, she might be willing to talk with Cristina now."

"That's good about JoJo." Owen sighs. "Cristina refuses to talk to Meredith or JoJo, but promises she will be friendly with Rob when they return to Seattle, she still likes him." He looks somber. "Rob has warned us that Mallory is losing weight due to the stress, and she has always been a little skinny. I hope this mess doesn't get drawn out too long."

Derek frowns. "Any ideas yet on what we can do to make the wedding happen?"

"No."

* * *

Derek pauses as he spots Chloe at the nurses' station near Cristina's office. Impulsively, he walks over. "Hello, Chloe. What brings you to the hospital?"

"Hi." She smiles politely. "I have a lunch date with Mom."

"Do you have time for a quick chat?"

"Um, sure." Chloe looks puzzled as Derek guides her to an exam room. They sit down, facing each other.

"I hope I don't have to tell you that JoJo is very sorry about what happened," he tells her. "I'm really concerned about how this is impacting the wedding."

"Then get her to drop out of the ceremony," she says.

He shakes his head. "I can't attend the wedding if my entire family isn't there. She's actually tried to back out many times but Rob won't let her."

"I did nothing wrong," Chloe protests. "I don't see why I have to be the flexible one."

"I know," Derek says. "I was very unhappy to hear what happened. I've known you your whole life, and you've always been a good friend to JoJo. I agree that it's unfair that she wasn't a good friend in return."

"She really hurt my feelings," Chloe says.

"Other people are going to hurt them too, you can't shut out everyone who does that," he points out. "Chloe, I do care about you. If JoJo were acting like what happened didn't matter, I would not be asking you to speak with her. But she is aware that her actions have hurt you, she is remorseful about that, and she is now holding herself to a higher standard."

She cocks an eyebrow.

Derek leans forward. "I would not be asking this of you if I thought I was setting you up to be hurt. I'm not saying that you should try being friends again, I completely understand that you wouldn't want to. I am asking you to talk with her so that you will feel comfortable at the wedding with JoJo there."

She sighs. "No."

* * *

Rob stretches as he walks into the apartment. He waves at Jonah, who is sitting at the small table in the kitchen, enjoying a sandwich.

"Hey," his cousin smiles. "I am going to miss Mallory feeding me."

"Paris has lots of great places to eat. You won't starve."

"But nobody can make a Philly cheesesteak sandwich like the Hurricane." Jonah holds up the remnants of his meal. "You're a lucky man."

"She's motivated me to take up jogging again," Rob chuckles, rubbing his abs. "Otherwise, I won't be able to fit into my suit."

Jonah grins. "Hey, my mom says 'hi'."

"You spoke with her?" Rob takes a seat. "How is she?"

"She's good," Jonah says. "She's looking forward to coming to Seattle, for your wedding."

"My mom definitely wishes that Lexie would move back," Rob says. "What's keeping her in Salt Lake City?"

"Me," Jonah replies. "She stays because I'm still in school there, even though I live with my dad. I think she'd be happier if she left, to be honest. She's getting along better with Dad, but his family ... well, that's another story."

Rob nods. "Well, I'm going to see if Mallory has packed the bedroom up yet." He stands and goes into the bedroom. He is surprised to see Mallory sitting on the bed, just staring out the window.

"What's wrong?" He looks around the room, at the open boxes. "Why are you just sitting there?"

"I don't want to leave," she sighs. "This is our first home together."

"Ah." He sits down next to her and puts an arm around her shoulder. "We'll have our own place again once we move to LA."

"But Paris is where we fell in love."

Rob smiles. "We'll come back. I promise. And maybe we'll have a couple of kids to bring along when we do."

She leans against him. "Or maybe we could return sooner. Like for my 25th birthday. I was thinking we could invite my parents and then Dad would pay for it."

"You really do plan far into the future, don't you?" Rob chuckles.

"Yeah." She sighs. "What I need is a plan to get our sisters and our mothers talking with each other again. So they don't ruin our wedding."

"Something tells me that you will figure it all out. You have a knack for getting what you want."

She takes his hand. "Like you."

* * *

Owen smiles patiently as Meredith lets him into her house. "Derek will be downstairs soon," she informs him coolly.

Owen nods and sits down in the living room. He looks up as a young woman wanders through. She pauses when she sees him. It takes him a couple of seconds to recognize JoJo, with her blonde hair neatly pulled back, and wearing minimal make-up. He quickly reminds himself to be diplomatic.

She shyly waves. "Hi."

"Hello," he says. "How are you doing?"

"Good." She remains standing, nervously. "I have a job now. At a gym."

"I heard, congratulations." He smiles softly at her. "I always thought you would do well in something like personal training or massage therapy."

"Really?" JoJo looks pleasantly surprised. "Nobody has ever told me that before."

"Well, when your father has a rough day, he can't wait to get home and let you work the kinks out," Owen tells her. "You have a knack for it. Maybe that's something for you to consider."

She nods. Then draws in a deep breath. "How is Chloe?"

His expression grows sad. "She's okay."

"Is she ever going to talk to me again? I miss her."

Owen looks at her carefully. She is standing uncomfortably, as if she were a small child waiting to be punished. "I don't know, JoJo. She's keeping her feelings very quiet."

"Would – can …" She sighs. "Is there anything I can do? Or would you prefer I just drop it and leave your family alone?"

He frowns. "You're my god-daughter, and I would prefer that you and Chloe reach some sort of agreement so that we can be one big happy family. And have a wedding with everyone there."

She smiles in relief. Owen leans forward.

"To be honest, I've thought that you could have been a better friend to Chloe many times, not just recently" he says gently. "If you really want to make things right, you need to _show_ her that you can change. It's not enough to say that you can be a better person, your actions must speak for you."

"Got it," she assures him. "I haven't missed one day of work, I haven't even shown up late. I've stopped the partying. I'm determined to be a responsible person now."

He smiles. "I can tell her that, but I can't guarantee anything. My girls can be really stubborn, you know."

"They come by it honestly," JoJo grins. "I mean, they get it from their mom …."

"Yeah yeah," Owen chuckles, holding up a hand. "None of us are perfect."

* * *

Diego sighs as he waits with his parents at the Seattle airport. "Do you think JoJo will show up with the Shepherds?"

"If she does, I'll take care of her," Cristina promises.

"Derek said that JoJo is tied up with work, and she won't be here." Owen waves at someone. "Here he comes with Meredith."

Derek smiles as they approach. Meredith pointedly does not make eye contact.

"Good timing," Owen tells them. "They just texted that they're almost through Customs, we'll see them soon."

Diego notices how the two women are not looking at each other. He looks at his father, who shrugs.

"I think I see them," Derek says, gesturing to the line of passengers coming into the baggage claim area.

"Hi!" Mallory shrieks, breaking into a run and throwing herself into Owen's arms, as Rob follows her, greeting his parents warmly.

"Hi Mom!" Mallory hugs Cristina tightly. "Hi Diego!"

"Hi," he grins, dropping all pretence of looking cool as Mallory squeezes him hard.

"How were your flights?" Owen asks.

"Terrible!" Mallory scowls. "I'm not talking to _him_." Rob shoots her a cool look.

"Now what?" Cristina sighs.

"He's decided that he wants to stay with his parents until the wedding," Mallory declares. "Even though we've been living together for six months. And we agreed that we'd stay with you first."

"We'd have more space at my house," Rob says.

"But I _want_ to stay with Mom and Dad," Mallory declares passionately. "I've been away for so long. I _missed_them."

Owen beams as Meredith rolls her eyes.

"You could stay in my new RV," Derek laughs, clapping Rob on the back. "A definite upgrade from the old trailer."

"An RV?" Rob looks disgusted as Mallory's eyes light up.

"We could have our own place right away," she tells him, taking his hands. "Say yes, Rob."

"I thought you weren't talking to me," he smirks.

"I _hate_ you," she says, before she kisses him fervently. "You are just _awful_."

"Get a room," Owen sighs, as everyone else laughs.

"So?" Mallory looks hopefully at her mother and Meredith. "Are we all made up and speaking to each other again?"

"Not yet," Derek sighs.

"Oh come on!" Mallory points at the older women. "The wedding is in two months, you have got to stop acting like this."

Cristina smirks slightly as Meredith coughs. The men exchange amused glances.

"JoJo is doing well at her new job and has stopped partying," Derek announces.

"And Chloe still hates her guts," Cristina mutters.

Meredith sighs. "It's been a month. Chloe shouldn't be making demands about a wedding that isn't even hers."

"You two should be better role models on forgiveness!" Mallory points at the other two women. "This fight isn't even about either of you!"

Meredith looks at Cristina. "You raised a really bossy brat, you know that?"

"Do you _want _to get into what kind of daughter _you_ raised?" Cristina asks. "I have plenty say about that."

"Let's go get the baggage," Derek interjects. "And see if the lovebirds can figure out where they're staying tonight."

* * *

Mallory is giddy as Rob throws down his battered backpack on her old bed. "Thank you for deciding to stay here with me," she grins, hugging him.

"I do have a bigger room at my parents' house," he chuckles, pointing around them. "I still think it's the better place."

"But my family isn't there," she murmurs. "We can go stay with your parents after the wedding, okay?"

"Okay," he smiles, tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear, leaning down for a kiss.

"Ahem," Owen coughs from the doorway, setting down another of Mallory's suitcases. "Chloe just pulled in with my mother."

"Thanks Dad," she grins. "We'll be downstairs very quickly." He nods and leaves them alone.

Rob checks his phone. "JoJo wants us to come over tonight. Both of us." He looks at Mallory, who is silent. "Remember what we discussed on the plane? Besides where to stay?"

She nods. "We're going to try to get them talking again, and we're also going to be nice with both sisters despite what we may think of their current fight."

"Right."

"I'll do it," Mallory assures him. "I will go with you to your parents' house and play well with others. Including JoJo."

"Because she is working on being a better and happier person," he reminds her. "As long as she is trying, we need to not judge. And I won't point out to Chloe that her demands are causing us a great deal of stress and maybe she could give JoJo at least a chance to be civil."

"Okay. First, let's go _see_ Chloe. And Grandma Hunt!" She grins and leaves the room, running downstairs, where Owen is helping his mother with her walker, while Chloe stands by and Cristina watches from the couch.

"Grandma!" Mallory bounces over and tenderly embraces the older woman. Then she grabs her sister and hugs her tightly. "I missed you both!"

"Look at you." Mrs Hunt smiles sweetly. "All grown up now."

"Allegedly," Chloe smirks.

Mallory grins and twirls around, as Rob chuckles. "Grandma, do you remember Rob?"

"Of course I do." She smiles as Rob bends over and kisses her weathered cheek. "I think it's so sweet that you two are getting married."

"I'll take good care of her," Rob promises, as he gives Chloe a quick hug.

"Wait until you see my wedding gown," Mallory tells her grandmother. "It's the most beautiful dress ever."

"I'm sure you'll look lovely in it."

"And I also picked out gorgeous dresses for everyone in the wedding party, including the maid of honour and the best woman," Mallory slyly glances at her sister, who sighs.

Their grandmother chuckles as she slowly walks over to a chair. "Give the girls more time, Mallory."

"I don't need more time," Chloe protests. "Grandma, I told you in the car that I never want to see her again. And Mallory, don't you start with me."

"What?" Mallory smiles sweetly, as her parents share a knowing look. "We're going over to the Shepherds later tonight. Want to come with us and hug it out?"

"No!" Chloe grumbles, before abruptly going upstairs.

"How about you, Mom?" Mallory grins at Cristina, who scowls.

Amused, Owen shakes his head and points at his younger daughter. "You've been here for half an hour and you're already annoying your sister and your mom. Welcome home, Hurricane."

* * *

Rob opens the truck door and helps Mallory climb down. He takes her hand as they walk to the Shepherd house.

"Okay." Mallory straightens her shoulders. "I can do this. Even if she's rude to me and calls me a ginger."

"She's not going to do that!" He gives her a quick kiss before opening the front door.

"Robbie!" JoJo tackles him in a huge hug. He chuckles, stepping back as she grips him tightly. Then she lets him go and smiles tentatively at Mallory.

Mallory raises her eyebrows. She finds JoJo almost unrecognizable, dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans. And smiling.

"Hi JoJo," she says politely. "How are you?"

"I'm good," JoJo tells her. "It's great to see the two of you again! And engaged! Can I see your ring?"

Mallory nods and extends her left hand. She looks at Rob while JoJo examines her engagement ring. Rob merely grins.

"Well done," JoJo says. "That is so pretty. Very sparkly, just like you."

"Uh huh," Mallory responds. "Thank you."

"Okay come on in!" JoJo beckons. "Let's catch up!"

Rob grins and Mallory stares, as they follow her into the living room.

* * *

Later that night, Chloe finds Mallory digging in the Hunts' kitchen.

"Who rearranged the kitchen? I can't find what I'm looking for." Mallory complains.

"It's not _your_ kitchen," Chloe smirks. "I hope you're making yourself something to eat. You're too thin."

Her sister stands up and brushes her bangs out of her eyes. "I'm too thin because I can't eat. I can't eat because every time I think about my wedding being disrupted, I want to throw up." She pauses. "Crap. I was trying to not yell at you."

Chloe gestures helplessly. "What am I supposed to do? Push some magic button and forgive JoJo? You were one of many people telling me that she wasn't really my friend, and you were right!"

Mallory nods. "I did say that."

Chloe opens the refrigerator. "So what happened when you saw JoJo tonight?"

"That was ... different," Mallory muses. "She was very friendly, it was weird. She asked if I could show her how to bake chocolate chip cookies, and she was full of compliments about my ring and my hair and stuff, and she suggested that we could go to a movie or go shopping sometime."

Surprised, Chloe looks at her sister. "What, JoJo likes you now?"

"Apparently so!" She shrugs. "I mean, I'm glad she wasn't snotty to me. But it was strange, having her suddenly be so nice and stuff. And she didn't even call me a ginger. She called me 'sparkly'."

"She's up to something," Chloe deduces. "Watch yourself with her."

"I will." Mallory exhales. "Before the fight, you said that you and JoJo were going to plan the wedding shower. What happened with that?"

"She can plan it," her sister shrugs, opening a cupboard. "I won't be there."

"But it's my shower-"

"No." Chloe glances at her. "And she's not coming to your bachelorette party either."

_Eight weeks before the wedding_

Owen sighs as he reads an email from the wedding planner on his phone. He looks at Derek, sitting across from him in the hospital cafeteria.

"I really hope that Chloe elopes," Owen says, holding up his phone. "Mallory hates the caterer that Alexandra lined up, so they have to find another one on short notice. Also, she's changed her mind on the floral arrangements. Again."

"I'm not going to let JoJo get married," Derek laughs. "Not unless she wants to elope too."

"Have you not learned that we can't dictate what our grown daughters do?"

"I don't think 'Papa Bear' should be giving me parenting advice. We both know that _you're _the over-protective one."

Chuckling, Owen puts his phone away. "Mallory and JoJo are going to the bridal salon today for fittings. I hope they won't start brawling in the shop."

"What about Chloe?"

Owen shrugs. "My understanding is that she's going to her fitting separately so she doesn't have to see JoJo. Chloe is expecting that Mallory is going to cave and ban JoJo, and she wants to make sure her maid of honour dress fits."

"I'm not saying that Chloe is wrong to still feel hurt," Derek says carefully. "But I wish she'd speak with JoJo. My girl is really trying to do better. She's smiling more now. I don't think it's right to let this continue to affect the wedding."

"We have to follow our own advice and stay out of it," Owen reminds him. "Although I am tempted to lock the two of them up on the vent and make them work it out."

* * *

JoJo looks at her reflection in the bridal shop. She turns, keeping an eye on the mirror, seeing how the black velvet dress moves with her.

"That looks fabulous on you," Mallory sincerely notes. "You really wear it well."

The blonde woman nods, smoothing the fabric with her hands. "You picked out a fantastic design."

"Thanks."

JoJo glances at her. "I wish Chloe were here with us."

"Oh boy." Mallory exhales. "She's scheduled her fitting for tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," JoJo mutters. "I never wanted things to go this way."

Mallory nods.

"Let's get some coffee after we're done here," JoJo blurts out. "I have something I want to ask you."

* * *

"Okay, what's up?" Mallory asks as they sit down in a coffee shop, with their drinks.

"First, please know that I'm not trying to criticize you," JoJo starts. "I'm just wondering how you went from Hurricane Mallory to being the person you are today, all responsible and a grown-up and stuff."

"Oh." Mallory blinks. "Really?"

"Yes," the other woman smiles. "Once upon a time, you got arrested for shoplifting and your parents allegedly permanently grounded you for getting into trouble. Now, you're almost married and planning a future and you got my brother to settle down. How did that happen?"

"Hmmm." Mallory scrunches up her nose and thinks. "Paris."

"Paris?"

"Uh huh!" Her eyes light up as memories surface. "When I was about 15, 16 years old, I knew that medicine wasn't for me. I kept thinking how hard it is to become a doctor, and then when you're a doctor, you're getting phone calls in the middle of the night, and praying that you don't get sued over some little mistake. Plus, you're around sick people a lot and they're kind of gross."

"Okay."

"So I asked myself, what do I like to do? And the answer was, I like to cook. Good food keeps people healthy. Nutrition is fascinating."

"If you say so," JoJo smiles.

"Then I started thinking about where I'd want to go to college. Again and again, I realized my dream was to go to culinary school in Paris. Our family went there when I was like 13 and I loved the city."

"I've never been."

"You should go!" Mallory grins. "Anyways, so the next question was, how do I pay for all this? I sat my father down and I explained my dream to him and he said there was absolutely no way that he'd ever pay for that."

JoJo leans close. "Really?"

Mallory turns a little pink. "He pointed out that I wasn't exactly acting like a responsible person then. I can admit it now, I was in full Hurricane Mallory mode. Yes, I'd gotten into a lot of trouble, I was skipping classes, my friends were encouraging me down the wrong path, shall we say. Dad said that I would have to pay for everything myself if I really wanted to go."

"And I thought you could talk your dad into everything," JoJo grins.

"So did I!" Mallory chuckles. "Anyways. My parents challenged me to show them that I could in fact be trusted to live on my own without igniting another world war. I had to stay on the honour roll. I had to show up for every class. It was a little harder to let go of some of my friends, until a trespassing incident showed me that I should really find more positive role models."

JoJo raises an eyebrow. "I know the feeling."

"Dad showed me how to make a budget and made me stick to it, and my mom helped me research different programs, and they both made me commit to going a certain amount of time without ending up in trouble with the law. They paid for extra French classes. And finally, they agreed that they would support my dream. And I moved to Paris."

"Wow," JoJo says. "What did that feel like?"

"I cried every night for a month," Mallory confides. "I didn't want my family to know that the Hurricane was homesick. But, I started to make friends and I explored the city on the weekends and soon I was happy and living my dream."

"And now your dream is to marry Rob?"

"That's one of them," she beams. "It was his idea to get married so fast, but why not? We know we want to be together forever. And then he's going to pursue his dream of being a doctor and I'm going to be a world-famous chef someday."

"i think you will be," JoJo smiles shyly. "You're excellent. I could learn a few things from you."

"Thank you!' Mallory sips from her coffee cup. "Do you have a dream?"

"Not really," the other woman admits. "Other than standing by Rob's side at the wedding and seeing Chloe standing by you."

Mallory nods. "So ... I have to ask. Is this why you're being so chummy now? To be honest, we have not always liked each other much."

"That's true," JoJo acknowledges. "Well, we are going to be sisters-in-law and I would like us to get along."

Mallory nods. "I would like that. But I have to wonder if …"

"… I have an ulterior motive?" JoJo looks at Mallory directly. "Like you once did, I feel the need to put some distance between myself and bad influences. I have made some new friends at work. You and I are going to be family, I think we should be friends. That is my primary objective – make new friends."

"Okay..."

JoJo breathes deeply. "I'm very sorry about how I treated Chloe. I don't know how to fix that. I'm not going to use you to manipulate Chloe, but it would be nice if she could see that I can change."

"I see." Mallory tilts her head, thinking fast and furiously. "I do appreciate that you're being honest. Especially about hurting my sister."

"I'm an asshole. It's true."

"Hmmm." Mallory's eyes start to gleam. "So ... if we can become friends, then maybe you can start talking with Chloe again and then my wedding won't be ruined?"

JoJo grins. "Exactly. It could be a win-win-win scenario."

Mallory laughs. "Well, I do like win-win-win." Her smile fades. "But we have to be real friends. I'm not going to lie to anyone and pretend that we are."

"I'm willing to try."

"Wow." Mallory gulps. "Hmm. If we're going to be friends … I know my parents made me apologize at the time but … I am really sorry about being such a total brat at your birthday party."

"Oh my god!" JoJo surprises herself by laughing. "_What_ were you thinking?"

The red-haired woman smiles ruefully. "I was thinking that everyone was being really mean to me that day. Looking back, I can see that _I _was a monster. My poor parents. Poor you."

"Apology accepted." JoJo smiles.

"Okay." Mallory takes a sip. "So, as my new friend, are you willing to host the wedding shower?"

The other woman sighs. "I'm guessing Chloe is backing out of that?"

"Yes," Mallory admits. "I can help you with it. In fact, I insist on being responsible for the food."

"Good, because that's not my forte at all." JoJo looks pensive. "We could have it at my house, we have lots of room."

"Okay!" Mallory smiles at JoJo. "Let's do this."

_Seven weeks before the wedding _

Derek enters the gym where JoJo works. "I'm Dr Shepherd," he tells the girl behind the front desk. I'm here to pick up JoJo."

"She's running late," the attendant informs him. "JoJo's cleaning up a tanning bed, someone made a huge mess in there. Lotion everywhere."

"Dr Shepherd." A tall woman approaches him, hand extended. "I'm Lisa, one of the managers here."

"Hello." He shakes her hand.

"We are so pleased with JoJo," she tells him. "You should have seen her today. We had a new client who was really nervous about using the equipment. An older woman, starting an exercise regime on doctor's orders. JoJo was so patient with her, she taught her how to use each machine and adjust them to her fitness level. The client was almost crying with relief after."

Derek smiles. "That's great!"

"I like to use JoJo with some of our newer clients, she has a knack for helping them feel more confident."

"Thank you for telling me."

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" JoJo rushes out of the changing room.

"Have a good evening!' Lisa waves as they leave.

"I really didn't mean to keep you waiting," JoJo tells her father as they walk to his car.

"It's okay. I heard there was a lotion emergency. I had a chat with your manager while I waited."

"Oh?" She looks apprehensive.

"She told me what a valuable employee you are," Derek smiles. " I'm proud of you."

JoJo stops walking and stares at him. "Really?" Her voice is soft.

Derek feels a twinge of guilt. "I guess I haven't said that enough."

Her eyes are moist. "I'm glad you can say it."

* * *

Callie smiles broadly as she lets Chloe into her house. "Hello sweetie!"

"Hi!" Chloe grins as she hugs Callie. "It's so nice to see you again!"

"I can't wait to hear what the bachelorette party is going to be like!" Callie looks behind Chloe. "You're here by yourself?"

"Uh huh. Mallory is harassing caterers today and can't join us." Chloe pulls out her laptop.

"And JoJo ...?"

"She's not invited," Chloe sighs.

Callie looks at her. "I heard you two are fighting, just like your mothers."

"We are not just like them."

"True, I've seen you pick up after yourself." The black-haired woman smiles warmly and gestures to the spacious living room. "Come sit and tell Auntie Callie all about it. Need a drink?"

"No thanks." Chloe sits down. "We went to a party and I overheard JoJo call me 'Little Miss Perfect' and bitch about me to this guy, about how I'm so wonderful. She hates me."

Callie frowns. "I've often wondered if she was jealous of you, but I never thought she hates you."

"Why would she be jealous of me?" Chloe looks incredulous.

Callie sighs. "Both of you were raised to meet high standards. I'm not criticizing your parents, I want my children to excel, too. But ... I've heard Derek and Meredith groan many times about JoJo's lack of ambition, and sometimes I've heard them talk about how you and Rob are going to be medical superstars. In front of JoJo."

"Oh." Chloe looks chagrined. "I didn't know that. But that's not my fault."

"I know, I know."

"How can she seriously be jealous of me?" Chloe looks confused. "I was always jealous of her, it's so easy for her to flirt with guys and ask them out or be asked out."

Callie smiles maternally. "Did you ever tell her that?"

"No..." Chloe sighs. "I wish I could understand relationships as well as I understand anatomy."

"You're a smart woman, you can figure things out."

"Some things can't be learned from books," the younger woman notes. "Like how to meet someone who likes me as much as I like him. I suck at that. I've had more A+ report cards than boyfriends."

"You're young, you have plenty of time." Callie smiles. "Think of romance as a grand research project. You're studying chemistry, biology, figuring out what's right for you. I had a_ lot_ of fun experimenting, before I even discovered that dating women was a worthwhile subject to dive into. And then I met Arizona and realized we were made for each other."

Chloe eyes her skeptically.

"I was married once before, before I married Arizona," Callie tells her, softly. "I married a sweet guy at a time when we both needed some stability and we both thought that we were in love. We tried to make it work, then he stopped trying, while I tried even harder to hold onto him, so that I could have a husband. It ended disastrously. My advice to you is, don't give your heart to someone just so you can say you have a boyfriend. Hold out for the guy who thinks that you're special, who deserves you. He's out there somewhere. Maybe he'll be at Harvard, maybe he lives next door."

"We live next door to retired couples," Chloe says drily.

"Maybe they have hot grandsons!"

_Six weeks before the wedding_

Meredith knocks on the door to Owen's office, where he is seated, chatting with Cristina as she leans against his desk. He motions for her to enter.

Meredith stands in front of him. "I understand that you arranged for JoJo to spend the day in the hospital, observing physical therapists on the job, to see if that's something she would like to do as a career."

"Yes I did," Owen answers slowly. "They said she was very interested and asked some good questions and wants to come back on her next day off."

Meredith nods. "Stand up."

Cristina frowns as her husband rises to his feet. Meredith coughs, then reaches out and briskly hugs Owen.

"She really enjoyed the opportunity and is now thinking about going back to school in a year to study kinesiology. Thank you," she says.

Owen grins. "You're welcome."

"Hey Meredith," Cristina says. "Want to grab some coffee?"

"I'd love to." The two women exit the office as if nothing had ever come between them.

"Thank god," Owen mutters to himself.

* * *

Derek and Rob watch JoJo and Mallory with amusement. The two young women are looking at Mallory's laptop, surrounded by brochures and papers strewn over the Shepherds' dining room table.

"Could you ever imagine those two planning your wedding shower?" Derek quietly asks his son.

"No," Rob chuckles. "I'm not sure that I'm not hallucinating."

"They're watching us," Mallory mutters to JoJo. "Probably taking bets on when the hair pulling and the pinching is going to start."

"Or they're guessing how many strippers we're going to book."

"Ha!" Mallory grins. "Little do they know, we can't decide between an ice cream sundae bar or a chocolate fondue fountain."

"Or what colours to decorate with."

"It's summer. What is more summery than yellow?" Mallory asks, resuming an argument.

JoJo shakes her head. "Purple is elegant and you said you want something classy."

"You think I forgot that purple is your favourite colour?" Mallory opens her mouth to say more – then shuts it. Her eyes start to gleam.

"Oh oh." JoJo looks both amused and nervous. "What are you up to?"

"We really don't have time to fight over the colours," Mallory says. "You can have purple. There will be lots of yellow at the reception."

"I sense Hurricane Mallory is on the horizon. That was too easy."

Mallory merely smiles mischievously.

Rob wanders into the living room, and stares at what is happening in the driveway. "Dad! Look!" He points to the window. "Mom's home and Cristina is with her! They're talking!"

"Finally!" Derek grins and goes to the door. Smiling, he holds the door open.

"Hello, hello." Cristina enters the house and waves, followed by Meredith.

"Go look in the dining room," Derek grins. The women peek inside at Mallory and JoJo.

"Why _good evening_, mother." Mallory smiles. "So nice to see you here!"

"Hello," JoJo says apprehensively, her face pale.

"Hello girls," Cristina acknowledges. She turns to Meredith. "You said you have wine?"

"Right this way."

* * *

The next evening, Chloe comes home and goes straight to her room. She blinks to see her mother waiting for her.

"Please sit," Cristina says, patting the bed. "I want to talk with you about the wedding."

"Oh god." Chloe sits down and puts her head in her hands.

"I'm very worried about Mallory," Cristina continues. "She's not eating and she's almost transparent. It's upsetting to think about you not being there."

"Why is she siding with the Shepherds?"

"Why does there have to be sides?" Cristina retorts. "You can't ask Mallory to choose between you and her husband."

"That's not -"

"It_ is_ what you're asking," Cristina insists.

"I don't see it that way."

Her mother sighs. "Why won't you speak with JoJo?"

Chloe's hands clench. "I want her to pay. I want her to know that she's not welcome at the wedding, because she is not a decent human being. I want her to _hurt_."

Eyebrows raised, Cristina searches for the right words. "Chloe ..."

"Why shouldn't I get what _I_ want?" Chloe asks, her voice choking with angry tears. "I've been the good girl all of my life and what does that get me? I'm a doormat. JoJo walked all over me for years and then complained that I'm so fucking perfect. Why don't I get to be in my sister's wedding and not have to look at JoJo's stupid, sneering, so fucking superior face?"

"That ... is a very good point," Cristina acknowledges. "Chloe, your problem is that sometimes you are too nice-"

"Oh now you're criticizing me too?"

"You need to speak up more for what you want!" Cristina continues. "You are my daughter! When it comes to your education, you are ambitious and bold and I am incredibly proud of you. But you ... lose that confidence when it comes to your personal life and I don't know why and if I could fix that in you, I would!"

They breathe hard as they stare at each other.

"Look, I'm still pissed at JoJo too," Cristina says. "If there wasn't a wedding, and if she wasn't the daughter of my person, I'd have told her off and I would have made her _hurt_. But ..."

"But there's a wedding."

"I saw JoJo last night," Cristina tells her. "I can tell you that she looked terrified to see me. Part of me felt good, seeing that."

"Part of you?"

"I ... could see a bit of the JoJo I used to know," her mother admits. "The girl who was your best friend and who would rather die than ever hurt you."

"Where has _she _been?"

"Back to your sister." Cristina strokes Chloe's hair. "She hasn't unleashed the full fury of Hurricane Mallory on you, has she?"

Chloe considers the question. "No, no she hasn't."

"Because she loves you," Cristina reminds her. "Mallory is trying to give _you_ the time you need, no matter how much it hurts her. But she's running out of time."

"I'm always the one who has to accommodate everyone else," her daughter complains. "When do I get to have my wishes heard? This is unfair."

"So much about this is not fair," Cristina agrees. "But Chloe ... Mallory would never, ever tell you who you could or could not have in your wedding."

Silently, Chloe's shoulders sag.

_Five weeks before the wedding_

Derek and Owen meet for coffee.

"Cristina tried to get Chloe to talk with JoJo but Chloe refused," Owen reports. "Mallory is close to asking her friend Annick to be the maid of honour."

"We could ask Bailey," Derek muses. "I think she and Meredith are the only ones who haven't tried to change Chloe's mind."

Owen shakes his head. "Bailey tried two weeks ago. Even Diego attempted to intervene. The poor kid hates conflict, but he wanted a turn at making things right. Chloe almost made him cry."

"So ... Meredith?"

"No. That will make Chloe start muttering about Team Shepherd again."

Derek pauses. "What about you, Owen?"

The red-haired man smiles sheepishly. "I can't intervene. I want to be there for Chloe while she's hurting and working through her feelings ... she's my girl. And I also want Mallory to be happy and to not waste what is a very pricey wedding ... and she's my girl."

"Wuss."

"I prefer to think of myself as Switzerland. Someone who can stay neutral while providing support for both of his daughters."

"So you're a Swiss wuss."

* * *

Rubbing her head, Chloe enters the Hunt home after a long day at work. Sleepily, she walks into the living room. She stops and stares at JoJo, who is sitting in a chair.

"Hi." JoJo tentatively smiles.

"What are _you _doing here?" Chloe mutters.

"Mallory and I are going to a movie," JoJo explains quietly. "She's upstairs changing her clothes. Diego said that you're volunteering at the clinic tonight and wouldn't be here."

"No, that was last night." Chloe looks at JoJo, noting her casual appearance. "I'm sure you'd rather be going to a club so that guys can follow you everywhere."

"I don't do that anymore," JoJo says softly. "Even if I did, I have to work tomorrow. I can't show up hungover."

Chloe nods, crossing her arms across her chest. "Everyone tells me that you're being all responsible and stuff now."

"I am." JoJo asserts. "I like my job, well, except for cleaning the bathrooms. But I work with fun people and it's interesting and it has me really thinking about what I want to do in the future."

"And how long is this going to last?" Chloe asks. "I find it hard to believe that you could just turn yourself around so quickly."

The blonde woman nods. "I bet. It's just ..." She sighs. "It took hurting you to make me realize how wrapped up in my own problems I was, and how self-centred I was being. I'm sorry."

"You know what I think?" Chloe asks. "I think this could be about you trying to stay in the wedding. Maybe you're scheming to be the maid of honour. You'll go back to your usual self after it's over."

"No it's not," JoJo protests. "This is about me trying to make things right and trying to figure out who I really am."

"Hey!" Mallory bounces down the stairs. "You're talking!"

Her sister rolls her eyes. "Nothing has changed."

"Chloe … is there any way we can make this work?" JoJo asks. "Mallory really wants _you_to be the maid of honour, and I want that for you too."

"No," Chloe says flatly.

"I've tried and tried to step out of the wedding," JoJo continues. "But Rob won't go through with it if I'm not there."

"It's true," Mallory says. "We could have settled this long ago but he wants his sister there. Like I want mine."

"I'm not asking you to be my best friend again," JoJo says quietly. "I've ... had a shitty year and ... I'm really sorry, Chloe. I'm the one that fucked up. I'm asking you to not let this affect their wedding."

"Poor you, you got kicked out of school," Chloe mutters. "You're not the only one who has failed before, you know."

JoJo lowers her gaze. "It's not just flunking out ... it was ..." She looks up at the other women and sighs. "You might want to take a seat."

Mallory sits down in the chair next to JoJo's. Slowly, Chloe sits down on the couch across from her.

"What happened?" Mallory asks softly.

JoJo looks guilty. "He is a professor and was my academic adviser. We ... started seeing each other when I was first put on academic probation."

"Oh boy." Chloe leans back as Mallory sits up straighter in her chair.

"I know." JoJo sighs. "He had this ... way of speaking with me. He made me feel like I wasn't just another student, he really made me feel special. I thought that he truly cared about me, that he could see behind this facade I'd built up, that he saw the _real_ me and that he loved the real_ me_. He guided me along in my studies. I don't think I would have survived my second year without him."

"Uh huh." Mallory listens intently, as Chloe remains silent.

JoJo looks down. "Ever since I hit puberty, I knew I had a power over guys. That I could make them do whatever I wanted just by smiling at them in a certain way. A touch on their arm, a little flip of my hair, it was that easy. I knew that I was playing them, that I was manipulating them, that really, it was all just a game to me."

Anger and jealousy flash across Chloe's face. Mallory shifts uncomfortably.

Eyes downcast, JoJo continues. "I went into it thinking that I could just manipulate him like everyone else. I never thought that someone could play me the same way. But he did. He strung me along with promises that it wasn't just a fling and that we could be together openly after I graduated, and I was stupid enough to believe him."

She looks up, briefly. "And then last fall, I discovered that I was pregnant. Before I had time to really think about what I wanted to do, he had scheduled and paid for the abortion. He insisted that it be 'dealt with' as soon as possible, and it was. Not even one week after, he told me that we shouldn't see each other any more."

Chloe stares at JoJo as if seeing her for the first time, as Mallory takes the blonde woman's hand.

"I didn't want to keep it," JoJo says, as tears form in her eyes. "Let's be honest, kids come with a lot of responsibility and they smell and it was not a good time for me to become a mother. But the way he ... arranged everything, it was like it was all my fault or that I was trying to entrap him. It really was a failure of birth control. I may be manipulative, but I'd never use a _baby_ in that way."

Transfixed, the sisters watch as JoJo wipes her eyes. "Having the abortion wasn't as ... detached ... as I thought it would be. It was really awful. I'd rather have my tubes tied than go through that again. And then he treated me like I was garbage when he dumped me. It took me a while to realize how abusive he had been all along, and I'm not that much better.,"

"JoJo," Mallory breathes, her eyes full of compassion. "Didn't you have _anybody_ you could talk with about this? One of your friends? Your mom?"

"Nope. I felt really stupid. The player got played. And nobody knew I was seeing him, he would have been in trouble. I haven't dated any guy since then, I don't want to," JoJo concludes. "I just … partied to try and forget what a stupid idiot I was, and I got kicked out of school. And then I really messed things up with Chloe ... I was unspeakably mean to the one person who has always had my back."

"Wow," Mallory exhales. She rubs JoJo's hand, as the blonde woman continues to cry.

Chloe stares at the floor, processing the conversation that just happened. Then she looks at JoJo again. Without a doubt, she knows that her former friend is wounded more grievously than Chloe could ever hurt her. She hangs her head and considers her next words.

"I am not a doormat," Chloe says quietly. The other women look at her in confusion.

"This isn't about me being submissive," Chloe continues. "I am saying ... I won't tell my sister who she can or can't have in her wedding."

"Okay..." Mallory nods, uncertainly.

"That doesn't make me someone that either of you can boss around. _Ever._" Chloe points to the other women. "I am saying that I realize I have put my sister in a stressful situation and I am sorry."

Mallory smiles, tears coming to her eyes.

"You will not tell anyone that I ... backed down, that I caved," Chloe insists. "Because I _didn't._ I realized that I have made an unfair demand and now I'm retracting it. You will not describe me in terms that make me look like a wimp."

"I'll never say _anything_ like that again," JoJo vows. "I'm so sorry."

"We will say whatever you want us to," Mallory adds, slowly. "Or we could just not say anything at all ..."

"I think saying nothing would be best." Sighing, Chloe stands and looks at her sister. "I will be your maid of honour." Glancing quickly at JoJo, Chloe goes upstairs.

Mallory notices how JoJo's eyes follow Chloe. "That's a step," she says, squeezing JoJo's hand. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"I'm not exactly sure what happened," Mallory admits. "But, obviously something you said made her change her mind."

"But she didn't cave," JoJo reminds her. "I'm serious. She is _not_ a wimp."

"She certainly isn't."

JoJo looks at the floor. "I don't want my family to know how badly I screwed up my life. You know, sleeping with my prof, that shit."

"I can keep the important secrets," Mallory assures her. "I'm honoured that you would trust me that much and I won't tell anyone, not even Rob. And you know that Chloe won't say anything."

"I know."

"And the wedding can proceed with both of you," Mallory smiles. "_Thank you_. For helping Chloe change her mind, and for being my friend."

JoJo nods, as fresh tears roll down her face.

"Aw." Mallory pulls her into a hug. "You really never told anyone what happened before?"

"No," she weeps. "I was too ashamed."

"So you're human," Mallory soothes. "Do you feel better that you told someone?"

"Uh huh."

"That's good. You're going to be all right."

* * *

Quietly, JoJo enters her house, with Mallory behind her. She goes straight to her room, while Mallory saunters into the living room, where Rob is talking with his parents. She sits down next to Rob and pulls out a chocolate bar. Ravenously, she breaks off a couple of pieces and sticks them in her mouth.

"You're eating!" Rob grins.

Mallory smirks as she swallows the chocolate and snuggles against him. "I have good news ... Chloe _and_ JoJo will be in the wedding party."

Derek and Meredith smile while Rob looks confused. "What happened?"

"They talked ... and both of our sisters will be there. Yay! The end."

Confused, the three Shepherds look at each other.

"_What_ happened?" Derek asks.

Mallory pauses. "They had a good ... cathartic ... talk."

"Are they friends again?" Rob asks.

"I don't think so," Mallory admits. "I don't think my sister is ready for that yet. By the way, she is not a wimp."

Meredith leans forward. "What did Chloe say to JoJo?"

"Uh uh," Mallory replies. "No details. My lips are sealed."

"Mallory Helena Sun-Hi Hunt." Meredith is grim. "We are talking about _my _daughter. You will tell me what happened."

"I will not," she sweetly retorts. "I have given my word that I shan't speak of it. My days as the family spy are over."

"Don't make me call your mother," Meredith threatens. "She'll force you to talk."

Mallory sits up and stares at Meredith. "It would hurt JoJo and Chloe's feelings very much if I broke my vow of silence. And I think enough feelings have been hurt already. Maybe this makes _you_ unhappy, but that's the way it is. I am choosing to be your daughter's ally instead of her enemy."

Derek grins. "So you and JoJo are _really_ friends now?"

"We are."

"That makes me very happy." Rob kisses his fiancée's cheek.

She dimples. "Me too."

Meredith shakes her head in disbelief. "Can't you tell us ... _anything_?"

Mallory considers the request. "I think JoJo is going to be okay now. I really do."

"Thank you." With a smile, Meredith leans back in her chair. "The Hurricane is a grown-up now."

The red-haired woman snickers before eating another piece of chocolate. "You guys hungry for anything? I'm _starving_," she mumbles.

"Our kitchen is your kitchen now," Derek smiles. "Help yourself to whatever you want. And if you feel like making some of your dad's lasagne, I wouldn't say no to that."

**Author's note – this easily could have been two chapters, but there was a lot that I didn't want to postpone. The next chapter is the last one before the wedding. And you are cordially invited to the reception as well. Lexie fans, I've heard your requests, I will fill in the details with a separate story.**


	8. The Parties

_Four weeks before the wedding_

Absorbed in her research, Chloe barely looks up when the doorbell rings. Remembering that everyone else is upstairs, she reluctantly leaves her laptop, and opens the front door of the Hunt house. Standing on the door step is JoJo, looking very nervous since their discussion two days before.

"Hi." JoJo smiles politely. "I'm going shopping with Mallory."

"Well, come in." Chloe walks away, returning to her computer. "She just got home from a run, she's washing off the sweat."

JoJo sits down in a chair. "We're doing the final shopping for the wedding shower, before she and Rob go apartment hunting in LA."

"Uh huh."

JoJo licks her lips. "Are you going to be at the shower?"

"I don't think so." Chloe keeps her eyes on the computer screen.

"I think you'd like it, and everyone will miss you."

"I can get drunk any time that I want."

JoJo shakes her head. "It's not going to be a boozefest. Mallory wanted something elegant and-"

"So your strippers will wear tuxedos first?" Chloe snarks.

"There won't be strippers," JoJo protests.

Chloe looks up. "I thought you wanted an epic party."

"Not after what you said," the other woman replies, slowly. "We're doing what the bride wants, and you know what? I like what Mallory wants. It's going to be fun, and very appropriate for our grandmothers to be there."

"If you say so."

JoJo crosses her arms. "Do you want to punch me? Would that help?"

That makes Chloe smile a bit. "I don't want to hit you at the moment."

"What do you want?" JoJo leans forward.

"I want you to leave me alone."

Abruptly, JoJo leans backwards and looks away. Chloe tries to concentrate on her research but finds that she can't. She looks up at her former friend. "Why did you bitch about me to Mickey?" She blurts out. "You're the one that started it."

"True." JoJo thinks. "Well, before we left your house that night, my father made a crack about how you have to watch out for me and that made me angry. I was really tired of my parents always comparing me to you and you coming out as the better daughter. And I expressed it in the wrong way. Again, I'm sorry."

Chloe wags a finger at JoJo. "A couple of people think that you're jealous of me. I don't get that."

"What?" JoJo frowns. "Why wouldn't I be? You're smart, you're successful, everyone loves you. You've never been the black sheep of your family."

"You don't get it!" Chloe protests. "I was always jealous of you because you're the pretty one! You were always popular without having to work for it."

JoJo stares at her in astonishment. "Chloe …."

"And another thing!" Her former friend jumps up and starts pacing angrily. "I'm _really _pissed that you're being a better friend to Mallory than you were to me!"

"Whoa." JoJo thinks. "I can see that. I'm sorry."

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Chloe demands. "Why are you being so damn agreeable?"

Surprised, JoJo laughs. "Because I'm trying to make things better! Everything that you are saying is something I need to work on. I know that I need to focus on myself instead of being jealous of you. Got it. I'm sorry that I'm being such a good friend to Mallory and that bothers you. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do about that."

"So ... you're perfect now?" Chloe asks skeptically.

The other woman shakes her head. "Hardly." She sighs. "I really miss our friendship. I miss how close we used to be. How we could tell each other everything. We shared all of our secrets. And it's all my fault."

"How can you be jealous of me?" Chloe demands.

"How can you think you're not pretty?" JoJo retorts. "That's ridiculous."

"Guys don't ask me out." Chloe points at JoJo. "I hate it when you say how easy it is to make guys fall for you. It's not easy for _me_."

JoJo opens her mouth to respond, then closes it, as she thinks. "Look, I'm shallow and I don't know the right thing to say," she admits.

"You were always fixing my hair and make-up and criticizing my clothes," Chloe points out. "Clearly you have a problem with the way I look."

JoJo shakes her head. "Chloe, _you _asked _me_, more than once, to help you get ready for a night out." She sighs. "I wish you knew how beautiful you are. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Confidence is very sexy."

"Right."_**  
**__**  
**_"No really!" JoJo insists, leaping to her feet. "Okay, so you look like your mom, right? Your mother is one of the sexiest people ever, and part of it is that she is a goddess. She exudes confidence. And so does your sister. And your dad is a DILF."

"This is going to a very weird place," Chloe snorts.

JoJo grins. "My point is, you come from a family of hotties, Chloe. I want you to realize your full potential." She sighs. "You want guys to ask you out? Dress in something that makes you feel amazing. If you'd let me, I'd try to help you find something that makes you feel better about yourself."

Chloe stares at her. "_What?_"

"You could go shopping with Mallory and me! We can help you."

"Help you with what?" Mallory walks downstairs, followed by Cristina.

"Nothing," Chloe sighs, as JoJo shakes her head.

"Your sister doesn't think she's pretty," JoJo informs Mallory. "So I said-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Cristina turns on JoJo. "_What did you say? _I will _kill _you if-"

"I didn't say anything bad!" JoJo protests. "I told her the truth, which is that she is beautiful and she needs to have more self-confidence. I swear to you that I was only trying to help!"

"Lay off, Mom, JoJo didn't insult me," Chloe admits. "I just ... forget it. You taught us that looks aren't important and that it's what is inside us that matters. So I don't know what's fashionable. I shouldn't care about that, right?"

Cristina regards her older daughter thoughtfully, for a long minute. Chloe's hair is pulled back in her usual ponytail, and she's dressed in jeans and a hoodie, with scruffy sneakers. Chloe looks back at her with a mixture of uncertainty and defiance.

"it's true that there is a lot more to you than how you dress," Cristina says carefully. "You are beautiful, inside and out. I want you to be happy with yourself, all of you."

"I'm tired of being told that I don't dress all trendy and frankly, I'm tired of being told of how much I look like you." Chloe glances at her mother. "Sorry. I think _you're _beautiful."

"You don't want to look like me? That can be fixed." Cristina turns to her younger daughter. "Hey Hurricane. You're going to a mall, right?"

"We are." Mallory's eyes gleam.

"I'm going to give you one of my credit cards," Cristina informs her. "Take Chloe somewhere and ... do something with her hair. Get rid of the ponytail. Then help her buy her some clothes that make her feel good about herself. Got it?"

"Got it." Her younger daughter salutes Cristina. "Since we'll be buying clothes for Chloe..."_**  
**__**  
**_"You can buy yourself something too," Cristina affirms. She turns to JoJo. "Your job is to back Mallory up and help Chloe feel pretty and not make things worse."

"You can count on me," JoJo assures her. "I think Mallory has excellent taste."

"Good start. Now let me get my wallet."

"Don't I get a say?" Chloe protests.

Cristina turns to her. "If you don't want a make-over, then say so. But you don't get to complain about not liking how you look, if you turn this down."

Chloe sighs. "Fine."

* * *

Chloe sits nervously in the waiting area of a salon, watching Mallory consult with a stylist. "I've changed my mind," she tells JoJo. "I'm pretty. There's nothing wrong with my hair."

"You do have great hair," JoJo agrees. "It's thick, it's glossy, and it's naturally curly. And I'm jealous that you never have split ends."

Chloe looks at her. "Don't you think you're over-doing this 'new and improved JoJo' thing?"

"Think about the wedding," JoJo suggests. "You're getting a fantastic new haircut for when you're standing up in front of everyone, and for the photos."

"Oh god." Chloe notices her sister approaching. "Here comes the Hurricane."

"I've consulted with the expert," Mallory tells her. "You're going to go back there, let her wash your hair, cut and style it, and you don't get to see what she's doing until she's done. Trust me."

"Didn't I say that you can't boss me around?" Chloe stands up. "I'm out of here."

"Okay, _you _tell the stylist what you want." Mallory puts her hands on her hips. "Chloe, I'm trying to help. Do you think that I'd choose something that makes you look bad?"

"No..."

"If you walk out, remember that you can never complain about not feeling pretty again," Mallory declares. "Because you have an excellent opportunity right now to get rid of the ponytail that you've had all of your life, and, not look like Mom. What's it going to be?"

Conflicted, Chloe looks at the floor.

"And it's really Mom that's bossing you around," Mallory adds. "I'm just the shopping expert."

Chloe sighs in resignation. "You do have excellent taste … and maybe a change might feel good."

Her sister smiles knowingly. "You don't want to piss off Mom again, do you?"

"No."

Mallory grins. "So go back there and get started."

Chloe reaches behind her and tugs her ponytail one last time. "Fine. I'll do it."

* * *

Laughing, Chloe and Mallory enter the Hunt house, carrying many shopping bags.

"Well?" Cristina walks to the foyer to greet them. Her face lights up. "Look at you, Miss Chloe!"

Her elder daughter smiles and turns around, showing off her new haircut. Her curly locks have been cut into an asymmetrical bob. Now her hair is edgy and falls around her face in an entirely new shape.

"I love it!" Cristina touches her daughter's shorter hair.

"Me too," Chloe exclaims. "I think I look like me now."

Owen comes up from the basement and and grins. "Look at our Chloe ... I like the hair, kiddo."

"Thank you," Chloe says, turning a little pink.

Mallory coughs. "You're welcome."

"Well done, Mallory." Cristina chuckles. "It's nice to see you use your hurricane power for good instead of mischief."

"You should see the damage to your credit card," Chloe smirks. "But it was for a good cause."

Cristina clears her throat. "How was JoJo?"

Looking down, Chloe shrugs. "Fine. She was on her best behaviour."

"JoJo picked out some great jewellery," Mallory pipes up. "She understands Chloe's taste in accessories better than I do."

"So ...?" Owen looks hopeful.

"So I'm going to put my new clothes away," Chloe says crisply, heading towards the stairs.

"Baby steps, Dad," Mallory whispers loudly. Then she winks and lowers her voice. "Chloe said that she might come to the wedding shower after all."

"Yes!" Owen grins broadly.  
Cristina frowns. "Why do you care? I thought everything was settled when Chloe said she'll be in the wedding."

Chuckling, Owen shakes his head. "We want to make sure Chloe has a good time at the wedding. That means, not hating JoJo so much."

"And, I don't want her to change her mind and back out again," Mallory adds.

Her mother smiles slyly. "If you'd tell us what happened when the three of you talked, maybe we-"

"No!" Her daughter smirks. "You can try all that you want, I'm _not _telling you what was said."

"You pick the wrong times to be mature and responsible," Cristina complains.

_Three weeks before the wedding_

Cristina and Owen come home to find the living room in chaos. Mallory is on the phone talking about floral arrangements. Rob is reading something on Mallory's laptop. Diego is pacing back and forth, talking to Chloe, who is ignoring him while she types on her own laptop.

"Finally!" Diego walks over to his parents. "I need someone to drive me to the mall so I can get crickets."

"Now?" Cristina looks at her watch.

"I know I should have taken care of it earlier," he admits. "But I have to get them tonight before I go to science camp tomorrow. My leopard gecko is looking a little thin, I have to make sure she's fed."

"I can't do it," Owen informs him. "I have a grant proposal to complete by tomorrow morning."

"And I think I've established that I want nothing to do with your reptiles," Cristina tells her son. "They're your responsibility."

"I will feed them before I go but nobody will drive me!" Her son is exasperated. "Chloe's doing bachelorette party stuff, Mallory is harassing the wedding planner, and Rob is finalizing their apartment hunting trip!"

They all glance at the desperate teen.

"I can't let her go hungry for a week," Diego pleads. "I won't be able to enjoy myself at camp. You'll have wasted your money."

Rob looks up. "Okay. I'll drive you, if I can borrow a vehicle?" Owen tosses him his keys.

Mallory finishes her call and pokes Rob. "We have to pack for our trip."

"You don't like the way I pack," he points out. "So you can do it the way that you want to, and I'll make sure the lizards don't die while Diego is gone."

"if you want clean underwear, you'll help me." She looks angry.

"I can buy underwear! How far away is the pet store?" Rob asks Diego as he stands up.

"Just 15 minutes." Diego smiles gratefully.

"I didn't say you could go," Mallory pouts. Everyone looks at her.

"You sure you want to marry that control freak?" Chloe smirks at Rob.

"Chloe!" Mallory shoves her sister's shoulder.

"Don't push me!"

"I didn't push you! It was ... a gentle nudge."

Cristina rolls her eyes and goes upstairs, as her daughters start to argue.

"I need to check something." Diego goes into the kitchen and comes back quickly. He approaches Owen and speaks quietly. "Dad, we're out of ice cream."

"Good thinking, son. Add that to your shopping list." Owen opens his wallet and extracts a few bills, which he hands to Diego. He chuckles when he sees Rob's confusion. "Diego will explain in the car."

As they drive away from the Hunt house, Diego snickers. "You don't know about the ice cream?"

"No," Rob replies. "What about it?"

"Whenever the girls fight, we feed them their favorite flavors. Mallory likes Cherry Vanilla while Chloe prefers Butterscotch Ripple. They sit and eat and forget why they were fighting. I personally feel that it's also wise to have ice cream around when Hurricane Mallory goes above Category 2."

"I won't tell you what _I _do when she goes above Category 2," Rob chuckles. "What other advice do you have?"

"Leave the room when they start talking about their periods. _Trust me_. When Chloe wants some quiet time, we let her have it, she gets really cranky otherwise. Mallory says that she never pushes anybody but she's wrong. They both claim to hate guys holding doors open for them but secretly they love it and expect it. And never enter a hot dog eating contest with Mom. She's a machine."

* * *

Rob and Diego laugh as they return to the Hunt house. Chloe and Owen are both working on their laptops in the living room, while Cristina reads. "Look what we brought!" Rob pulls out the cartons of ice cream.

Chloe grins and starts to rise. "Awesome!"

"Sit, sit, I'll get you some." Rob goes into the kitchen and quickly spoons out two bowls of ice cream. He delivers one bowl to Chloe, then goes upstairs, where Mallory is packing a suitcase.

"Ice cream!" Mallory smirks as he hands her a bowl. "Diego's idea?"

"Yep."

"It's Pavlovian, how he always makes sure we have ice cream after a fight." She closes her eyes, savoring the first bite.

"He's very observant," Rob grins as he flops down on the bed. "I enjoyed our one-on-one time tonight. I don't think I've really gotten to know him that well. He was always so much younger than me. And now he's hardly around."

"That's because he's a teenager. He doesn't socialize with adults much these days," she grins.

"I'm an adult?"

"To a teenager, yes."

_Two weeks before the wedding_

As the last guests leave the Shepherds' house, Chloe approaches her sister. "Mallory, you put on one heck of a wedding shower."

"You should tell that to JoJo," her sister smiles. "She did most of the work. Especially last week, when I was in LA."

They both look at JoJo, who is hauling a garbage bag to the curb.

"I'm glad you're here." Mallory wraps her arms around her sister and hugs her.

Chloe smiles softly. "I loved the sundae bar."

"That was JoJo's idea."

"So you really think she has changed?" Chloe looks thoughtful.

"Yes. She's nowhere near perfect, but she's very aware of the effect her words can have. And she really tried to make this a nice party." Mallory looks at her sister hopefully. "So ... can she come to the bachelorette party?"

"I don't trust her not to get drunk and make an ass out of herself," Chloe tells her. "Again."

Mallory's eyes sparkle. "I know how we can make sure that doesn't happen."

_One week before the wedding_

Mallory looks at the platters of entrees that she's placed on the counters. "Do you think this is enough food?"

Callie laughs. "Yes. Now tell me again why you did the cooking for your own bachelorette party?"

"She's an insane control freak when it comes to food?" Chloe grins. "Thanks again for letting us have the party here."

"I'm glad I could help." Callie looks up as JoJo carries the last case of liquor into the kitchen.

"So you two are talking?" Callie smiles at Chloe while gesturing to JoJo.

"Yes." Chloe nods, before she looks around the kitchen one more time. "Everything is set up and ready to go."

"Very impressive." JoJo smiles tentatively. "I think this is going to be an awesome night."

"Now there is one more thing for me to do..." Chloe pulls a key ring out of her purse, and hands it to JoJo. "Here, you take these."

"Um, okay." JoJo looks confused.

"Those are the keys to my mom's Lexus." Chloe opens a bottle of beer and immediately starts drinking from it. Mallory grins knowingly.

JoJo stares at Chloe. "_What _are you doing?"

"Making you responsible," Chloe replies, before belching. "You are going to be the designated driver tonight. You will get us home by driving my mother's car, so that means you can't drink, while I relax and have fun tonight."

Surprised, JoJo laughs. "Well, I guess I deserve this."

"You certainly do," Chloe's eyes briefly twinkle, before she takes another swig from the bottle and leaves the kitchen. Callie watches her go with a proud smile.

Mallory points to JoJo. "She's giving you a chance. Don't screw up."

"No booze. Be responsible. Don't crash your Mom's car. I got it. " JoJo shakes her head and smiles as she puts the keys in her pocket. The doorbell rings.

"And the first guests are here!" Mallory bounces out of the room.

Callie smiles at JoJo. "If I see you drinking tonight, I will personally kick your ass." She reaches out and squeezes the younger woman's shoulder affectionately.

* * *

"Excellent party venue," Lexie smiles, as she lowers herself into the hot tub. "And it's great to be back among friends."

"And you can come over any time you want if you move back." Callie and Arizona smile conspiratorially at her, causing Cristina to laugh.

"Meredith is rallying the troops," she chortles, elbowing her friend, seated next to her in the tub.

"You're not happy in Salt Lake City, you could get a job at Seattle Grace, and you'd be surrounded by friends and family." Meredith recites from an oft-repeated list.

"But I am happy now," her sister smiles. "I'm in on a great clinical trial, I've got a new condo, and hello, my baby is there."

"Your 'baby' got off a plane yesterday with his new Parisian girlfriend," Cristina observes. "Cut the cord already."

"Cut the cord!" Meredith repeats, loudly, as everyone else laughs.

"Anyone need a refill?" JoJo walks by, holding up a bottle of wine.

"Me!" Arizona waves her down.

"Tell Auntie Lexie that you need her to come back to Seattle," Meredith urges her daughter, who rolls her eyes as she refills Arizona's glass.

JoJo faces her aunt. "Dearest Auntie Lexie, it would make ever so me happy if you were back in Seattle. And it would shut my mother up."

Everyone laughs, none harder than Meredith. JoJo smiles as she saunters away.

"Did you ever think we'd be here, on the eve of two of our kids getting married?" Meredith muses.

"We have so many kids, I thought there would have been more matches by now," Callie admits. "All those Seattle Grace children, they grew up together, and they're so good looking."

"Remember when Owen got stuck babysitting them all at once?" Cristina laughs. "He was a brave, brave man."

"He did a great job!" Lexie recalls. "Jonah didn't want to leave, he was having so much fun at your house."

"Even Sofia, who thought she was too old for a babysitter, had a good time," Callie chuckles.

"So who do you think is next?" Arizona asks. "Which of our kids will date each other?"

"I was kind of hoping Chloe and Jonah would find some sparks," Lexie admits. "You know, the maid of honour, the groomsman. But then he got off the plane with Jeanne-Marie."

Cristina shakes her head. "Chloe thinks of Jonah as a little brother. What she needs is someone who can make her heart pound."

"I do have a very cute son," Callie winks. "But he's got a girlfriend."

"Who is a skank," Arizona observes. "We predict it won't last long."

Callie smiles mischievously. "If Chloe doesn't want to wait for them to break up, she could switch teams and date Sofia."

Cristina snorts. "No offense, but any son of Mark Sloan's is not going near my Chloe."

"You sound just like Owen!" Meredith laughs.

* * *

Owen looks up as Rob enters the house, yawning. "How was your stag party?"

"Terrible." Rob flops down into a chair. "Jonah had been planning to take us bar hopping. Thanks to his girlfriend's interference, we played paintball instead."

"I thought you liked paintball."

"I can do that with my friends any time," the younger man points out. "I only had a couple of beers, I'm cold, and I'm scratched and bruised."

"Ah." Owen smiles knowingly. "There's plenty of beer in the fridge if you want some."

* * *

Sofia rubs her eyes as she walks through the living room and into the kitchen. She sees JoJo wiping down a counter top. "JoJo, it's late. Why are you cleaning?"

"I'm almost done. I don't want to leave the place looking like a total disaster," JoJo shrugs.

"It's 3 am." Sofia sits on a bar stool and watches JoJo. "How are you doing? I've heard you had a rough year."

"I'm okay," JoJo smiles. "My year is getting better."

"Oh? Is there a new special someone in your life?'

JoJo snorts. "No. I'm taking a break from men. That's why my year is getting better."

"I see." Sofia looks at JoJo again and smiles coyly. "Does that mean you're exploring other options?"

Amused, JoJo chuckles. "Girls?"

"A beautiful woman like you doesn't seem the celibate type," Sofia says, as she stretches languidly.

JoJo frowns. "I've never thought of myself as being with another girl..."

"But the idea doesn't repulse you?"

She considers the question. "I guess it doesn't."

Sofia smiles. "Perhaps you have a whole new world to discover. You could have many pleasurable adventures ..."

JoJo looks at the other woman, curiously. She sees that Sofia's eyes are sparkling ... and intense. Staring into the other woman's eyes, she feels a strange thrill. Confused, JoJo looks away.

"JoJo?" Mallory sleepily stumbles into the kitchen. "Can we go home now?"

"We can go home," JoJo says.

"Good night, ladies, " Sofia tells them, standing up.

"Good night." Stretching, JoJo walks into the living room and sees Chloe splayed out on a couch. "You ready to go?"

"Am I ever," the black-haired woman groans. "How can you drink so much without puking?"

"I built up a tolerance first, and I know better than to mix wine with beer all night." JoJo extends a friendly hand. "Here, I'll help you."

"Thank you." Chloe leans against JoJo as she struggles to her feet. She looks at the other woman. "You good to drive?"

"I am," JoJo nods. "I don't dare do anything to your mom's Lexus."

Chloe giggles. "Let's go."

Unsteady, Chloe wraps her arms around JoJo's neck. "You still think I'm Little Miss Perfect?"

"No," JoJo replies. "I think you're human. Watch your step." She guides Chloe towards the car, followed by Cristina and Mallory. "Can you get in by yourself?"

"Uh huh." Chloe gets into the car and fastens her seatbelt. She looks at JoJo. "I don't think that I hate you so much now."

That makes JoJo smile a little. "Thank you."

* * *

"I'm going to slaughter you," Owen growls at Rob. "You can't hide from me, punk."

Rob's eyes narrow. "Bring it, old man." Pressing buttons on their video game controllers rapidly, they begin to virtually attack each other.

Grimacing, Rob hangs his head when the battle is over. "You got me."

"Good try though." Owen claps him on the shoulder. "Want another beer?"

They look up as the front door opens, and Chloe and JoJo enter, unsteadily. Chloe holds onto JoJo for support. Cristina and Mallory follow them into the house, giggling.

"Well hello." Rob grins at the sight of his fiancee clinging to the door. "Looks like you ladies had a great night."

"Best party ever," Mallory grins.

He laughs and looks at the various states of drunkenness. "No offense, JoJo, but how is it that you're the sober one?"

"I was tricked into it," his sister chuckles. "Hurricane Mallory had a scheme."

"_We're_not sober," Cristina snickers, leaning up against a wall. Chloe almost falls down, but JoJo catches her.

Owen stands up. "You okay, Chloe?"

"I can't walk in these damn shoes that Mallory made me buy," his older daughter protests.

"Let me help." JoJo bends over and undoes Chloe's shoes, as the men walk over.

"Oh here comes Papa Bear," Chloe moans, rolling her eyes. "He needs to make sure that his grown daughter is okay."

"She's fine," JoJo assures Owen. "She put together a fantastic party and really enjoyed herself."

"I did!" Chloe grins widely.

"I just want to make sure my kid is okay," Owen protests, amused.

"Oh _stop it_, Dad," Chloe sighs. "I'm not your 'kid', I'm a grown woman. Just knock off this over-protective crap and start treating me like an adult already."

Surprised, Owen stares at her while everyone else laughs. Chloe stumbles over to him and kisses his cheek. "I love you, but you can be a real pain in the ass."

He shakes his head and chuckles. "Fine."

Cristina beams as she leans against Owen. "That's the Yang blood in her. I could not be more proud."

_Four days before the wedding_

Mallory is chattering in French on her phone as she lets JoJo into the Hunt house. She gestures for her friend to go into the living room, where Chloe is reading a medical journal.

"How's the head?" JoJo smiles nervously.

"I'm never drinking again," Chloe mutters.

Hesitantly, JoJo sits down across from her. Chloe glances up at her, then returns to her book.

"That was a great bachelorette party," JoJo says. "Everyone had a fantastic time."

"Thanks." Chloe looks at JoJo again. "Thank you for getting us home. And making me take aspirin before I went to bed. I would've felt much worse this morning."

"You're welcome." The other woman looks away.

Sighing, Chloe puts down her journal. "What?"

"Nothing."

"I know you. You have something you want to say."

JoJo shrugs. "It's something that I need to speak with a friend about. I'll wait for Mallory to get off of the phone."

Thoughtfully, Chloe regards her. "I don't know if I can ever trust you again," she tells JoJo. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt many times, and you let me down."

JoJo nods solemnly.

"I wish I'd spoken up earlier," Chloe admits.

"I wish I hadn't let you down," JoJo tells her. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about us. I was a jerk. I just assumed that it didn't really bother you and I was wrong."

Chloe nods. "We're not best friends again. I don't know what we are. But I no longer want to smash your nose in."

JoJo smiles a little. "That's good. I do like my nose."

"Okay ... talk to me. What's bothering you?"

Surprised, JoJo shakes her head. "I told you, I'll wait for Mallory."

"Oh." Chloe is taken aback. "Do ... you want me to leave?"

"You can stay if you want," JoJo mumbles. "But I don't want you to be mad that someone was flirting with me even though it's not what you think."

"What?" Mallory turns off her phone, having finished her call. "Who flirted with you?"

"Sofia," JoJo confesses. "I think ..."

"_Oh?_" Chloe sits up straighter.

"Uh huh." JoJo nods. "And I think I liked it."

"Really?" Grinning, Mallory sits down. "Is this ... something new? Do you think you might be ... bisexual? A lesbian?"

"I don't know," JoJo sighs. "I really don't want to date a guy, not for a while. I don't know that I want to date anyone."

Chloe blinks. "You've never been interested in women."

"Because I always wanted to be popular and have the best boyfriend." JoJo shakes her head. "I'm feeling very, very confused today. I don't know what to do or think."

"Take your time," Mallory advises her. "You're still figuring out a lot of things about yourself."

"I don't know where I would even start," JoJo muses. "I don't know anything about dating women."

"Well, isn't it really the same, just with different anatomy?"

"I think I also don't know how to have a real relationship," JoJo admits. "I just know how to use people."

Smiling softly, Chloe shakes her head. "You're being a good friend to Mallory. You don't entirely suck."

"Thank you." Their eyes meet for an awkward moment.

"So ... you didn't want to tell me because you thought I'd be jealous that a woman asked you out?" Chloe asks.

"I'm trying not to hurt your feelings again," JoJo mutters.

Chloe chuckles. "Actually, a guy at work asked _me _out to see a movie tonight."

"Really?" Mallory grins widely. "Told you that was a great haircut."

"Yeah whatever," her sister smirks. "It's probably nothing, I thought he was gay." Then she looks directly at JoJo. "So you can get asked out by anybody, I'm not going to be jealous. That's the new Chloe."

JoJo smiles saucily. "For your sake, I hope he isn't gay."

_Two days before the wedding_

"Hello," Mallory smiles sweetly as the Shepherds enter the Hunt house. "Welcome to brunch."

"We will never say 'no' to your cooking," Derek assures her.

Meredith walks into the living room, where Cristina, Owen, and Diego are gathered. She stares at the boxes stacked on the coffee table. "What's going on?"

"Oh, we're going to be putting the wedding favors together today," Mallory informs her. "While I feed you."

Meredith looks at her husband. "It's a trap."

"Well played," he laughs. They look up as Chloe and Annick descend the stairs.

"This is my friend Annick," Mallory says, introducing them to the dark-haired woman.

"Okay, why isn't the wedding planner putting these together?" Meredith asks.

"Because Dad will only pay for so much," Mallory sighs. "Come on, everyone is going to help, it'll be fun."

'Face it, we're going to have to do something to help with the wedding," Cristina advises.

"And if you help, you get beer and homemade pizza," Rob says, emerging from the kitchen. "Just tell Mallory what toppings you want."

"I'm in," Derek announces. "What do we do?"

"You put these stickers on these little metal tins, and you fill the tins with mints," Rob explains.

JoJo picks up a sheet of stickers and snorts. "'Robbie and the Hurricane'. Cute."

"Hurricane?" Annick looks confused.

"That's 'Hurricane Mallory'," Rob grins, hugging Mallory from behind. "We call her that because of a particular incident."

"I was a little … wilder when I was younger," his fiancee admits.

"I don't think I can work on the wedding favours without hearing that story." Annick winks at Mallory.

"I've never heard the whole story," Diego adds. "I know it involves a birthday party."

"My 7th birthday party!" JoJo pipes up. "She wreaked havoc on it."

"Yes!" Meredith smirks at Mallory. "You want us to work, you have to share the story of what a total brat you were. I planned that party for days."

"You mean, tell them about how everyone ganged up on me and I gave myself a black eye?" Mallory is deadpan.

"You always tell the story wrong," Owen laughs.

Mallory exchanges a meaningful glance with Rob. "I think now is the perfect time to tell the story."

"Be honest about what a brat you were," Chloe says. "Starting with how difficult it was to get you out the door for the party."

_Chloe impatiently knocked on her sister's bedroom door. "Hurry up! We're going to be late!"_

_Cristina opened the door, wearily. "We're ready. The Princess has finally decided on what she's going to wear to the party."_

_"Hi!" Five year old Mallory twirled around, showing off her lacy frock. "I'm ready to go."_

_"About time!" Chloe grabbed her sister's hand and guided her towards the stairs. "Dad's got the van warmed up and waiting. Come on!"_

_Cristina followed them, smirking as she watched Chloe hustle her sister along. "Watch the steps, we don't need a broken arm today."_

_"Slow down," Mallory complained as they descended. "And don't rip my dress."_

_"I don't care about your dress," Chloe muttered. "You're going to make us late."_

_"They won't cut the cake without us," Cristina pointed out. "Chill, Chloe."_

_"Yeah, chill," Mallory echoed. Then she winced. "You pinched me!"_

_"No pinching," Cristina admonished as she grabbed Mallory's coat and held it open for her._

_"I'll get your boots," Chloe said._

_"I can get them, I'm not a baby!" Mallory protested, as her mother zipped up her coat._

_"She's just very excited about the party," Cristina muttered._

_"I need my dog!" Mallory exclaimed, eyes wide. "I forgot Mr Gus!" She turned to go upstairs, but Cristina stopped her._

_"You do this every time!" Chloe protested. "It takes you fifteen million years to get ready to go anywhere!"_

_"You aren't bringing any of your stuffed animals." Cristina shook her head. "We don't have time and you keep forgetting where you leave them."_

_Mallory's lower lip quivered as she looked up at her mother. "Pleeeeease," she whined. "He'll be so sad if we leave him behind!"_

_"No. Put your boots on." Cristina placed Mallory's rain boots in front of her._

_Her younger daughter glared at her. And then she folded her arms and sat down, defiantly._

_"What about this elephant?" Chloe picked up a stray toy and held it up. "Can we bring Ellie?"_

_"Fine, we'll bring Ellie." Cristina stood over Mallory, hands on her hips. "Put on your boots."_

_"Okay." The red-haired girl clambered up and obediently stepped into the boots._

_Chloe shoved the toy into Mallory's hands. "Now can we go?"_

_"Take Mallory out to the van while I get ready," Cristina said, pulling on her own coat._

_Mallory made a face as Chloe opened the front door. "It's raining. I'll get my hair wet."_

_Cristina sighed and pulled up the hood on Mallory's jacket. "There."_

_"I want an umbrella," she replied. "So that Ellie doesn't get wet."_

_Chloe threw up her hands in disgust and left the house. Cristina chuckled and picked up an umbrella. "Come on, Princess."_

_Once everyone was safely buckled in, Owen backed the van out of the driveway and they started towards the Shepherds' house._

_"Play my show!" Mallory piped up. "I want to watch The Bubbles!"_

"Bubbles?" Annick frowns.

"Oh, that was a kids' TV show that Mallory loved," Cristina explains. "It had giant plastic bubbles that talked and sang. I hated that show."

_"No!" Cristina sighed. "I want to listen to something else. You've watched that DVD all week!"_

_"Play it!" Mallory insisted. "Daddy, I want The Bubbles."_

_"Whatever happened to 'please'?" Owen grinned, turning a corner._

_"Pleeeeease Daddy," Mallory begged, as Chloe rolled her eyes._

_"I said no," Cristina reminded her._

_"But Daddy said if I said 'please'…"_

_"I didn't say that," Owen countered. "I just reminded you of your manners."_

_"Pleeee-eeeeeee-eeeeeease," Mallory whined._

_"No!" Everyone else said._

_Pouting, Mallory hugged her toy closer to her. Cristina turned on the radio and chose a classic rock station._

_"I hope the rain doesn't keep some people away from the party," Owen said, as the windshield wipers beat furiously._

_"Everyone in JoJo's class and our Brownie troop was invited," Chloe said. "There should be a lot of kids."_

_"Is Jonah going to be there?" Mallory looked hopeful._

_"No he won't," Cristina replied. "Jonah has chicken pox, remember?"_

_"No fair." Mallory stuck her lower lip out as her parents chuckled._

_"I'm sure Jonah is upset that he's missing the party," Owen pointed out. "I think that if you behave yourself, the other kids will be happy to play with you, Mallory."_

_"That means, no throwing things, no breaking things, and no temper tantrums," Cristina reminded her._

_"And no snitching," Chloe added._

_"And stay out of Uncle Derek's fishing gear," Owen chuckled. "Do not, under any circumstances, ever 'play' with the lures again."_

_Mallory pursed her lips and looked out of the window, silently seething. She felt it was very unfair that everyone was picking on her._

"I definitely think she tells the story wrong," Derek grins.

_"Hi, welcome to my party." JoJo greeted them at the door with a big smile._

_"Happy Birthday!" Chloe hugged JoJo tightly._

_"Happy Birthday," Mallory said, before pulling off her raincoat._

_"The gifts go into the dining room," Meredith said as she entered the foyer. "All of the kids are playing downstairs."_

_"Is anyone here that I know?" Mallory asked hopefully._

_"Sofia and Rodrigo are here," Meredith smiled brightly. "There are lots of kids to play with, as long as you stay out of trouble."_

"See?" Mallory says. "I hadn't even done anything yet and they were judging me."

_"Why do we have to play in the basement?" Mallory asked, as Owen took her raincoat._

_"It's the only place that can hold all of the kids," he told her._

_"I want to play outside."_

_"No. It's pouring rain. And you just got over a bad cold," he father said. "Go downstairs with the other kids."_

_"I want to stay up here," she whined._

_"Basement. Now."_

_Pouting, Mallory went downstairs, where groups of children were scattered. She recognized some kids from martial arts classes and as Chloe's friends, but most of them were strangers to her._

_She walked over to a corner where a TV had been set up, and children were playing sports on a video game console. She approached the one child she recognized. "Hi Sofia! Can I play?"_

_"Sorry, no," the older girl told her. "We've already made up our teams."_

_"I want to play!"_

_"You can't, not now," Sofia said, patiently. "We can only have four teams in this game. If you wait your turn, you can play later."_

_"I don't want to wait." Sighing, Mallory moved around the large room, trying to avoid being run over by the kids chasing each other. Carefully, she walked over to where Robbie was sitting with kids his age, playing with some magic cards._

_"Can I play?" Mallory asked._

_"No," Robbie said. "You cry when you lose." The other children laughed._

_"Do not!" Mallory protested, turning red._

_"Do too!" Robbie waved her away._

_Nose held high, Mallory walked over to a play table, where some younger children were playing. She reluctantly sat down with them._

_"Hi Mal'ry." A black-haired boy with Mark Sloan's smile greeted her._

_"Hi Rodrigo. What are you doing?"_

_He pointed to a pile of big Lego blocks. "We're building a town. Wanna play?"_

_"Okay." She picked up some of the pieces and started fitting them together._

_"Not like that," a little girl told her._

_"I'll put them together however I like," Mallory told her, frostily._

_"You're doing it wrong."_

_"It's okay," Rodrigo told Mallory. "You can play however you like."_

_Sullenly, Mallory put together a building and placed it down. Then she daintily gathered up her skirt and returned to the video game corner. "Now can I play?"_

_"In five minutes," Sofia tells her, not taking her eyes off of the TV._

_Sighing, Mallory moved to the stairs, where she sat down and observed the room. She looked around the room at the older children. Chloe was playing board games with some kids that she didn't know. She supposed that they wouldn't let her join. Belatedly, she realized that she'd left Ellie in the van, and she had nothing to play with. Bored, she began picking apart a purple streamer festooning the banister._

_"Don't do that," JoJo scolded, walking up to her._

_"Why is it purple? I don't like purple." Mallory said._

_"It's my favorite color and it's my party."_

_"I'm bored."_

_JoJo shrugged. "Then go play video games in the corner."_

_"They won't let me. I have to wait."_

_"Well stop picking at the decorations," the birthday girl admonished her, before walking away._

_Defiantly, Mallory picked up the streamer again, with a firm tug. It fell away from the banister, taking down a few balloons that had been tied to it._

_"Mallory!" JoJo stomped over. "Don't be such a brat!"_

_"What happened?" They turned to see Owen at the head of the stairs._

_"She's destroying the decorations!" JoJo complained._

_Sighing, Owen descended the stairs. JoJo pointed to the fallen streamer and balloons._

_"I was just playing with it," Mallory muttered._

_"Tell JoJo you're sorry." her father instructed, as he picked up the streamer and started to hang it up again._

_"I'm sorry," Mallory said quietly._

_The older girl nodded and walked away._

_"Why aren't you playing with anyone?" Owen asked._

_"They won't let me."_

_"What about those kids?" He pointed to the play table where the younger children were gathered._

_"They're babies." She brightened. "Can I play games on your phone?"_

_"No," he chuckled. "Not after you ruined the last one."_

_"I didn't mean to!"_

_"Mallory!" Owen smiled patiently. "A lot of things happen when you borrow phones. You drop them in the toilet, you change the language, you leave them in a mall. It's expensive when you and electronics meet. No."_

_She blinked. "Can I use Mom's phone?"_

_"No!" Owen squeezed her shoulder affectionately._

"Tell them how you left your phone on the Paris subway twice on the same day," Rob suggests to Mallory, who rolls her eyes.

_"Hey Mallory." Sofia called over to her. "You can come play now."_

_"There you go." Owen nudged her. "Have fun."_

_She skipped over to the TV. Sofia quickly showed her how to play the game and she eagerly took her turn at virtual basketball. Only to discover that she was really, really bad at it._

_"You're making us lose," a boy on her team told her. "Stop it, ginger."_

_"Don't call me that!" Fuming, she waited until it was her turn again._

_When the round was over, her teammates turned on her. "You're too little to play this game," one of the big girls told her._

_"I don't want to play it anyways!" Angrily, Mallory threw the controller onto the floor. The battery compartment popped open and batteries scattered all over the floor._

_"Mallory!" Robbie left his game and came over. He picked up the controller and showed her where one of the buttons had broken off. "Look at what you did!"_

_She covered her dismay with anger. "I don't care!" Haughtily, she walked upstairs, going to the __living room. Her father was deeply engrossed in a conversation with Mark, and her mother was chatting with Arizona. She approached Cristina and tugged on her arm._

_"Can I go to the van?" Mallory asked. "I left Ellie in there. And I want to watch The Bubbles."_

_"It's pouring rain!" Cristina gestured to the window. "Go back downstairs."_

_"There's nothing to do down there!"_

_"You must be kidding." Arizona crouched down to Mallory's level and smiled at her. "I can hear lots of kids having fun."_

_"The big kids won't let me play with them and the little ones are dumb."_

_"I bet if you ask Sofia really nicely, she'll let you play." Arizona ruffled Mallory's red hair, before standing up again._

_"I already tried that," Mallory muttered, looking down. "They're playing a stupid game."_

_Her mother merely smiled politely, so Mallory walked away. She left the living room and sighed. Her eyes went to the staircase and she smiled, inspired to try something new. Quietly, she made her way to the top floor of the Shepherd house. She opened the door to Robbie's room and walked in. Tiptoeing, she made her way over to the desk, sat down, and turned on his computer._

"You what?" Rob asks. Mallory smiles sheepishly.

_She recognized the icon for one of her favorite computer games, and clicked on it. An error message appeared. She put her finger on the screen and carefully read the words. "Insert disc."_

_Mallory hopped off of the computer chair and started digging through the box of discs underneath the desk. She yelped as the box fell over and its contents spilled out onto the floor._

_"A-hem."_

_Guiltily, Mallory turned and saw Derek standing in the doorway, arms crossed._

_"Are you supposed to be in here?" He smiled. "Why don't you pick up the mess and go back downstairs?"_

_"I just wanted to play a game," she mumbled. "Nobody wants to play with me."_

_"Did Robbie say you could use his computer?" Derek crouched down and began to help her._

_"No."_

_"Then you can't use it." Derek tweaked her nose affectionately. He stood over her while she picked up the discs, then escorted her to the basement._

_"Now why aren't you playing with any of the kids?" Derek asked his small guest._

_She pointed to the card players. "They said I cry when I lose." She pointed to the video game players. "They won't play a game that I can win."_

_"She broke one of the controllers," Robbie called over._

_Frowning, Derek began to examine the hardware. Pasting on a smile, Mallory walked over to the corner where the board games were being played. She stood next to Chloe, who was engrossed in a game of Scrabble with three older children._

_"Go away," her sister muttered._

_"I want to help."_

_"You can't."_

_"I can read!" Mallory pointed to Chloe's rack. "You have an 'a' and a 'd'-"_

_"I said, go away!' Chloe put her hands on her sister's shoulders and pushed her away._

_"I just want to play!" Furious, Mallory slammed her fist down on the board, causing all of the tiles to move out of position._

_"Look at what you did!" Chloe yelled, as the other players started to protest._

"_**Nobody will let me have fun!**__" Irate, Mallory spun around and marched over to where Robbie was sitting. She kicked the cards on the floor, disturbing their game._

_"Stop that!" Robbie leaped to his feet and tried to grab Mallory's arm. Screaming in rage, she evaded him, scampering over to the video game corner. She bumped into one of the players, causing him to mess up his moves. As the other children yelled at her, Derek managed to catch Mallory. He dragged her away as she howled in protest. Upset, JoJo ran up the stairs, calling for her mother._

"Oh oh," Diego laughs.

_The children in the basement whispered amongst themselves. "This party is lame," one of the girls said, loudly._

_Her eyes filling with tears, JoJo sat down on the couch between her mother and Chloe. "My party is ruined."_

_"No it's not," Meredith smiled gently. "Mallory ... is having an off day. She's being punished. The party is not ruined."_

_"I'm sorry my sister is being a brat," Chloe said, taking her friend's small hand._

_JoJo laid her head against her friend's shoulder and blinked, spilling tears down her cheeks._

_Upstairs, Owen and Cristina stood in the dining room, standing over a very defiant Mallory, who sat in a chair and glared at them._

_"You are in a time out," Owen informed her. "You will sit in that chair and you will stay there!"_

_Arms crossed, Mallory glared at her parents. "For how long?"_

_"You just added 15 more minutes!" Cristina warned her. "You will not move, we will come get you!"_

_"I want to go to the living room where you are," Mallory begged. "Please?"_

_"No!"_

_Sullenly, Mallory looked away. Her parents shrugged at each other and left the room._

"I'm not babysitting if you have a child just like you," Cristina teases Mallory.

_The tiny girl sighed as she looked around the room. It was also bedecked in purple streamers and __balloons. The table had already been set, with plates and utensils atop a lacy tablecloth. A smaller table had been set up, also with a tablecloth, and all of the birthday presents were piled on top of it._

_Bored, Mallory strained to hear the adults conversing in the living room, but she couldn't make out what they were saying._

_After what felt like an eternity, she'd had enough. "I bet they forgot I was in here," she sulked. Quietly, she slipped off of the chair, and crept underneath the smaller table. "This is my fort," she decided. "I'm going to stay here until they beg me to come out." In her mind, she had a glorious vision of staying under the table, while everyone pleaded with her to join the party. She tugged at the tablecloth hanging over the edges, trying to conceal herself better. A couple of gift bags fell off._

_"Oops." She crawled out and picked up the bags. Curious, she peeked inside one of them. "Boring."_

_Mallory looked at the pile of presents and at the tablecloth again. Methodically, she began to remove the presents, carelessly stacking them on the floor. Once they were all removed, she adjusted the tablecloth to her satisfaction, then crawled under the table again. She was pleased with her hiding place._

_Hearing a sniffing sound, Mallory looked under the tablecloth to see a small chihuahua smelling the presents. Her face lit up. "Hi puppy!" She crawled out and patted the dog. It licked her hands._

_"What's your name?" Mallory whispered, as she gathered the animal up in her arms. "Where did you come from?" She giggled as the dog eagerly licked her face, unaware of how red her nose was turning. And then she sneezed. "I'm allergic to dogs," she regretfully informed the small animal. "But I don't care. You're my new friend. You'll play with me."_

"Please tell me that the puppy survived the party," Diego says, deadpan. The room cracks up.

"That was April's dog," Meredith recalls. "She brought it everywhere like it was her baby."

_She put the puppy back down on the floor. Thinking quickly, she pulled a bow off of a present and held it out. "Do you want to play with this?" The dog quickly seized the decoration with its mouth and sat down to chew on it._

_"Oops," she whispered. "You could choke on that." She grabbed the bow, now covered with saliva, and put it on the dining table, out of the dog's reach._

"I didn't notice the bow was there until everyone sat down at the table later," Meredith notes drily.

_Scratching her arms, Mallory looked around. She stood up and pulled a purple streamer off of the china cabinet. "We can play with this!" She marched around the room, trailing the streamer behind her. The dog wagged his tail and followed her, chasing her. Giggling, she ran faster, looking behind her to watch the animal. Engrossed in the activity, she failed to watch where she was going. She turned just in time to impact one of the chairs. Screaming in pain, Mallory grabbed her face and stumbled, falling directly on top of the presents._

"Of _course _she fell onto the presents," Annick laughs.

_"She broke the presents?" JoJo looked up at her father and began to cry again. Awkwardly, Chloe patted her hand._

_"I'm sorry, JoJo." Rob sat down next to her and put an arm around her._

_"Cristina and your mother are checking, we don't know that she broke any gifts," Derek winced. "Uncle Owen is going to take Mallory home before she can do anything else."_

_"I am so sorry," Cristina told Meredith as they examined the gifts. "We let the girls stay up late last night because we were watching a movie. She's tired. She's-"_

_"She's your daughter," Meredith smirks. "Oh, I know Mallory isn't deliberately trying to ruin the party, but she's doing a good job of it."_

_"You're going to have a black eye," Owen observed, examining Mallory's face. She was perched on the counter in the downstairs bathroom, tears streaming down her freckled face._

_"I don't wanna go to the hospital." She looked up at him and coughed._

_"You won't have to. You don't have a concussion and you don't need stitches." He kissed her forehead and listened to her breathing. "Do you want your inhaler again?"_

_She wiped her runny nose. "No. Is the doggy okay?"_

_He nodded. "Yes. Auntie April's puppy is just fine. But you shouldn't have been playing with him, you were in time out."_

_"I thought you forgot me."_

_"You were only in time out for 10 minutes," Owen informed her. "I'm taking you home now."_

_"What? Why?" Mallory whined._

_Owen pursed his lips. "Because you're not playing well with others and you made JoJo cry on her birthday."_

_"I didn't mean to."_

_"Well, you did," His large hand stroked her cheek. "She's very upset and it would be best if you have a time out from the party. I'll take you home and you can rest with a nice ice pack."_

_She brightened. "I can watch The Bubbles!"_

_He paused and shook his head. "You've lost your computer and TV privileges for a few days."_

_"No TV?" Mallory wailed. "No Bubbles?"_

_"No Bubbles!"_

_Her eyes filling with fresh tears, Mallory's face crumpled up and she began to cry in earnest. Owen sighed and wiped her face with a washcloth, trying to soothe her._

_Cristina opened the door. "Some of the boxes and gift bags were damaged, but none of the presents themselves are ruined."_

_"That's good. We'll buy JoJo a gift card to make up for the trouble." Owen looked at his weeping daughter. "Come on, let's go. Chloe and your mother can get a ride with someone else."_

_"I want to stay," Mallory whined._

_"You have been banned from the party," Cristina told her, firmly. "You will go to the kitchen, apologize to JoJo, then leave with your father."_

_Sniffling, Mallory let Owen guide her to the kitchen. When she saw Meredith, she let go of Owen's hand and grabbed Meredith's legs. "Please don't make me go home," she begged. "I want to stay for the cake."_

_"Oh no, no." Meredith pried her loose, with Cristina's help._

_"Apologize now." Not unkindly, Cristina swung her around to face JoJo, who was wiping away her tears. Chloe held JoJo's hand while she glared at her sister._

_"I'm sorry," Mallory told JoJo. "Can I stay for the cake?"_

_"No," JoJo hissed. "I don't want to see you ever again!"_

_"I am embarrassed to be your sister," Chloe scolded._

_"I think it's time for Mallory to leave," Derek interjected, placing a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder._

_"Let's go." Owen took Mallory's hand and started guiding her out. As they walked, they passed the birthday cake, which was sitting on the breakfast table._

Annick stares at Mallory in horror. "Oh no..."

_The perfectly decorated cake with the giant "7" candle irritated Mallory. Everything was irritating her. Everyone was being so mean, stopping her from having any fun and then punishing her. She had a black eye while JoJo got to have a pretty purple cake._

_Angrily, she balled up her free hand into a fist and lunged at the cake. Owen tried to yank her away, but her fingers grazed and smeared the icing._

Everyone howls in laughter while Mallory looks sheepish.

_"We're going now!" Owen picked her up and carried her to the front door, with Cristina hastily following. They could hear JoJo screaming from the kitchen. Furious, Mallory kicked and howled at the top of her lungs. The adults in the living room moved away from the noise, while some of the kids emerged from the basement to watch._

_"Let me down!" Mallory began to kick Owen as Cristina tried to put her raincoat on._

_"You've got to put on your coat!" Cristina snapped. "It's practically a hurricane out there."_

_Angrily, Mallory began to beat Owen with her tiny fists._

_"We don't hit!" Frustrated, Owen lowered her so that she could stand on her own._

_"I don't want to put on my coat!" Mallory yanked open the front door and marched outside. If she was going to be kicked out of the party, she would leave on her own, instead of being carried out by her father. Resolutely, she marched to the van, wearing her party slippers instead of her boots. She could hear her parents calling for her, but she ignored them. It only took her five seconds to slip and fall in the mud, face first. Shocked, she tried to jump to her feet but slipped again._

_"I got you," she heard her father say. Sighing, Owen bent down and picked up Mallory, who didn't fight him. Getting soaked in the pouring rain, he cradled her as he walked to the front porch, where he carefully set her down._

_Cristina, Meredith and Derek stood in the open doorway. The Shepherds didn't try to hide their amusement. "You look like you were in a hurricane!" Derek howled._

_Owen looked down at himself and then at Mallory. They were both soaked and filthy. "I think Mallory is a hurricane."_

_Chloe peeked out from behind Cristina and started to laugh. "JoJo, you have to see this!" She ran away, while Cristina shook her head in disbelief. JoJo and Chloe appeared and looked at the bedraggled duo._

_"Serves you right," Chloe snickered, while JoJo began to laugh._

_Coughing, Mallory turned and hid her face against her father's hip, while others came to gawk and laugh at her. JoJo was pointing at her and making fun of her. Wet and muddy, Mallory began to shiver._

"Poor baby," JoJo grins.

_"We have to get her out of her wet clothes," Owen told the Shepherds apologetically. "I'll go grab her gymnastics bag from the van."_

_"Don't you go catching pneumonia, you little hurricane," Cristina told her muddy daughter, gently ushering her back indoors._

_Meredith laughed. "Beware the destructive powers of Hurricane Mallory."_

_"She destroys birthday parties at force 5," Derek chuckled, shaking his head._

_"Heh," Mallory said, teeth chattering. _

"Were you still banned from the party?" Annick asks.

"Hell yeah," JoJo snorts. "She was made to apologize again, _properly_, and then she got sent home in disgrace."

_"I am very very very sorry," Mallory declared to JoJo, who stood there with a skeptical expression. The older girl looked at her parents, who nodded at her. She turned and faced Mallory. "Fine."_

_"Come on Hurricane," Owen chuckled weakly._

_As she was strapped into her booster seat, Mallory looked down at herself unhappily. She was wearing a leotard and sweatpants, because her pretty party dress was muddy and torn._

_Cristina lectured her while buckling her in. "You are going to be a good girl for the rest of the day, Miss Hurricane."_

_"Okay," Mallory yawned, ready for a nap._

_"When Chloe and I get home, I want to hear that you behaved yourself for your poor father." Cristina smiled and shook her head. "__**Please **__try and stay out of trouble for him." She closed the van door and stepped back._

_"All right, time to go," Owen sighed. He pulled away from the house._

_"Daddy?"_

_"Uh huh."_

_"I want to watch The Bubbles."_

Everyone in the room howls with laughter, especially JoJo. Mallory grins and shrugs. "And that's how I became known as the Hurricane."

"And you're friends with her now?" Annick asks JoJo.

"It took a while," JoJo laughs, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Nobody invited Mallory to a birthday party for a year," Chloe grins. "She only came to mine because our parents insisted."

"Okay, okay." Mallory points to the boxes of supplies. "Now that I've told you the story, get to work. I'll go get the beer."

"I'll help," JoJo says, rising.

"No no, that's okay," Mallory smiles. "I can manage."

"I'm up already," JoJo points out. "I'll get the beer while you start the pizzas."

Mallory's eyes flicker to her sister, sending a silent plea.

"I think there might be more mints in the basement," Chloe says, hastily standing up. "JoJo, can you help me look?"

"Um, sure." The parents exchange amused glances, as the two young women go downstairs.

"So?" JoJo looks hopeful. "How was your movie date?"

Chloe shrugs. "He's not gay. But not really my type. He hardly said anything to me, he was really shy. And he texted his friends during the movie."

"Aw." JoJo tilts her head. "Well, as Papa Bear would say, you deserve someone who'll pay attention to you."

"He's right about that," Chloe agrees. "I can do better."

* * *

After a couple of hours, the last of the party favours are finished and packed away in boxes.

"Well done," Rob grins, clearing off the coffee table. "Stay seated – Mallory has whipped up a very special dessert." He disappears into the kitchen.

"Having Mallory as a daughter-in-law will be dangerous for my waistline," Meredith groans, rubbing her stomach.

Grinning, Rob helps Mallory carry a cake out of the kitchen. They place it in front of an astonished JoJo. It is a three tier cake, elaborately decorated with purple icing. The message "Happy Birthday JoJo" is written all over it, several times.

"Lately, I've been wondering how I could make up things with you," Mallory smiles shyly at JoJo. "So I baked you this. And also, I wanted to thank you for being so helpful with the wedding and being my new friend."

"Oh my god ..." JoJo stares at it. "It's the most beautiful birthday cake ever."

"She wrote 'Happy Birthday' fifteen times, for the fifteen times she's missed your birthday," Rob informs his sister.

"Thank you so much!" JoJo stands up and hugs Mallory. "You can come to my next birthday party."

"Aw." Mallory blushes.

"Now _this _is what I wanted," Derek says, dreamily. Everyone looks at him.

"Look at us!" He gestures around the living room. "Everyone is speaking with each other and nobody's banned from birthday parties now. We're finally one big happy family."

**In the next chapter ... the wedding! Really!**


	9. The Wedding Day

_The day before_

"Mal, wake up."

"Hmmm?" Mallory blinks, while Rob shakes her shoulder. They're lying in her bed in the Hunt house, and it's morning.

"This is the last time we're going to wake up together before we get married," he whispers.

She turns over and snuggles closer to him.

"Tomorrow is the day that we fully commit to each other," he continues. "We'll declare our intentions to stay together forever in front of our friends and families."

Her eyes fly open. "And I will be the most beautiful woman in the world."

"You already are." He kisses a freckled shoulder.

"Yep, you're a keeper," Mallory yawns. "Tomorrow is the day that I've dreamed of since I was twelve years old. I'm going to walk down an aisle with my parents, I'm going to be wearing a fantastic dress, and most importantly, standing at the end of the aisle will be _you_." She kisses him. "_You're _the best part of tomorrow."

"Remind me why I have to sleep at my parents' house tonight? Why I can't see you before the wedding?"

"Because it's our _big day_," she murmurs, poking his chest for emphasis. "It'd be ordinary if we just rolled out of bed, showered, and got dressed together. I want anticipation, I want excitement, I want you to stand there and _ache _for me to join you."

"Ah."

"We'll have thousands of ordinary days after," she promises.

They lie there for a quiet moment. Rob sighs. "I'm so glad that you didn't have any plans for Christmas. That night changed our lives."

Mallory smiles against his chest. "Yes. _Lucky_ break."

Rob stares at the ceiling. Then he starts to consider something. "Now that I think about it, its really strange that you of all people didn't have plans on a major holiday that involves food."

"Isn't it?"

He raises his head and looks at her. She grins at him. "Maybe I didn't just happen to not have plans that night."

"Hurricane …" he chuckles. "What did you do?"

Mallory smiles proudly. "I was supposed to go to Annick and Bernard's. As soon as I heard you were in Paris, I told her I wasn't feeling well and was probably contagious. Then I told my parents I was all alone, and they told your parents and your dad called you. _Voila! _You fell into my trap and I 'ruthlessly seduced' you."

"You minx." He pulls her close and kisses her. "You manipulative _scheming _little brat." He kisses her again.

"I had to take action, it was possibly my one chance with the love of my life." She giggles before kissing him back. "I do like to have things my way."

"At least I know that, before we get married." He moves his hands down her body and squeezes her ass. "You reeled me in, hook, line, and sinker."

"You're pretty persuasive yourself," Mallory murmurs. "I would never have dreamed we'd get married so soon."

He leans his forehead against hers. "Having second thoughts?"

"Not at all." She closes her eyes and sighs. "Right now, everything is perfect."

oOoOo

Working briskly, Meredith changes the sheets on Rob's bed in her house. She barely looks up as Derek enters the room.

"This is the last sheet I have to change," she says. "I set up a bed for Alex in the room that Jonah's staying in, he sent a message that he's going to rent a car at the airport."

Derek looks around the room, at Rob's childhood things. "Our boy is coming home one last time," he grins. "I'm glad they agreed to stay with us until they move to L.A."

"And then we'll be sharing them with Owen and Cristina when it comes to the major holidays," Meredith sighs.

"I don't care where we eat, as long as Mallory does the cooking."

She smiles and sits down on the freshly made bed. "No matter where he is, he'll always be our Robbie. The answer to our hopes and prayers when we couldn't seem to conceive. The most wonderful little boy in the world."

"He's a good man," Derek says, sitting down next to her. "Smart, kind, hopelessly head over heels in love, and finally ready to make his own mark in medicine."

His pager goes off. Derek chuckles as he pulls it out. "Speaking of medicine..."

"I thought you arranged it so that we wouldn't be on call."

"I did." Derek frowns. "Metcalf wants me to contact him regarding Mr Foley. It's just a phone call."

oOoOo

Emerging from the bathroom, Chloe rubs her damp hair with a towel. She smiles wistfully as she looks into Mallory's bedroom, where the bed is covered with suitcases and boxes. As she enters, she sees her sister staring at a checklist.

"You're leaving us again," Chloe sighs.

Mallory looks up and half-smiles. "I made a deal with Rob."

Chloe nods and picks up a bridal magazine. "I guess you won't need this any more."

"Nope."

Leafing through the articles, Chloe scoffs. "Look at this stuff. These magazines make it sound like the wedding day is the most important day you will ever have in your life."

"It_'s _a _very _important day for me," Mallory points out. "But I'm not having a fancy wedding just because a magazine told me I should. I'm having one because I _like _the glitz and the glamour. I _like _making a spectacle. That's not new."

"True."

Mallory regards her sister thoughtfully. "Do you think you'll ever get married?"

"I suppose. First, I need to get through med school. That's all I'll care about for the next few years."

"Have you thought about your specialty?"

Chloe snorts. "Mom asks me that on a weekly basis. I can definitely see myself as a surgeon. But I don't know what kind. Orthopedics is interesting, because you can build limbs. I think Ophthalmology would be fascinating, how awesome would it be to give a person sight? But then with Pediatrics, you can cover a wide range of surgeries. I can't choose right now."

Mallory smiles. "Not Cardio or Trauma?"

"Maybe Trauma," Chloe shrugs. "But not Cardio. That would be asking to be compared to Mom for my whole career. And I don't think I could have the same zeal for it that she does. Maybe when I start my rotations in a couple of years, I'll find my passion."

"I hope you find your passion too. Professionally and personally."

Chuckling, Chloe puts down the magazine. "Baby steps, Mal. I've got a hot new haircut. Now I just need to learn to come out of my shell more."

"Well, I hope that when you do emerge, you discover a bright wonderful world of opportunities," Mallory smiles.

oOoOo

JoJo waves to her coworkers as she leaves work. As she steps out into the parking lot, a man waves to her from a parked car.

"Well well well." She grins and walks over. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Get in." Alex Karev smiles and unlocks the doors. "Your parents are running late, so I'm your ride to the rehearsal."

Chuckling, she sits down and buckles herself in. "You're looking good."

"And you're looking quite different from when I last saw you." His eyes take in her plain t-shirt, her ponytail, before he pulls away. "You've lost your tan."

"Hello, this is Seattle."

"You look ... more at peace. Happier." Alex flashes a grin. "Maybe getting kicked out of school is the best thing that will ever happen to you."

JoJo makes a face. "We don't need to talk about that."

He appraises her. "I hear you're switching gears, maybe gonna study kinesiology?"

"I think so. I'm going to work for the next year before going back to school."

"Think you'll return to Miami?"

She shakes her head. "I'm done with that place."

Alex grins, keeping his eyes on the road. "There was a big scandal on campus this summer."

"Oh?"

"Uh huh." He smirks. "This Biology professor eloped with one of his students in June. She's pregnant. The Dean did the math and he's facing disciplinary action for having inappropriate relations with one of his students."

JoJo's blood turns cold. "Which professor?"

"Um, what is his name ... Ford … Fortunato?"

"Forzani?" Her voice is tense.

"Right." Alex looks at her quizzically, noticing how pale she is. "You know him?"

"He's _married_ now? And having a _baby_?"

"Yeah." Alex looks at her again and is taken aback at her stricken expression. He quickly comes to a realization. "Did _you_ ... with _him_?"

Her head spinning, JoJo turns away and looks out the window.

"Jo ..." Alex touches her hand .

"We're here," she says, curtly. "Actually, you just drove by the church."

"Crap." He looks at her again. "We'll talk later."

oOoOo

Inside the church, Mallory is staring at Derek. "You what?"

He holds up his phone in defense. "I have to go in and consult."

"Can't you have the scans sent to you?"

Derek sighs. "I need to examine the patient myself to offer my best diagnosis. I'm just going to consult, I promise you. Do you really need me for the rehearsal?"

She arches an eyebrow. "I guess not."

"The minister is here and ready to start." Chloe reminds her sister. "We can't keep her waiting."

Mallory nods. "Okay. Let's do this."

oOoOo

As she exits the church after the rehearsal, JoJo spies Alex sitting in his rental car, checking something on his phone. He looks up and beckons to her. She turns to her mother. "Can I get a ride with you?"

"I think Alex wants to speak to you," Meredith notes.

"Give me a minute." She walks over to his car as he rolls down a window. "What?"

"I think we should talk," he tells her. "Get in."

"I have to go to the Hunts. It's a rehearsal supper. For everyone in the wedding party." She studiously avoids looking at him.

"Jo …" He waits until she glances at him. "Haven't I always kept your misdeeds quiet from your folks? I think you need to talk to someone."

"There's nothing to talk about," she snaps, and turns around, walking towards her mother.

oOoOo

Cristina is contemplative as she looks around the crowded dining room table, as everyone digs into dessert. Diego and Chloe are debating the merits of a movie. At the other end, Rob and Mallory are feeding each other bites of cake, while JoJo is subdued and focused on her plate. Owen is telling a hospital story to Annick, while Jonah is telling Meredith about Paris and his girlfriend.

"Hello in there!" Meredith waves at her, during a lull in conversation. "Where are you?"

"I was looking at my kids," Cristina says. "Wondering how I ended up with three of them when I never wanted any at all."

Her children all turn and look at her in surprise, as conversations die down.

"Seriously, how did this happen?" Cristina gestures towards her family as Owen smiles knowingly.

"Go back to the not wanting kids ..." Chloe requests.

Smoothing her hair, Cristina chuckles. "All I wanted in life was to be Wonder Woman, ruler of my own planet, or a surgeon. Kids were never a part of that."

"Never?" Diego asks, puzzled.

"Never. Until one day everything changed." Cristina takes a sip of wine as she chooses her words. "It's Rob's fault."

Her future son-in-law is taken aback. "What did I do?"

"You were cute," she accuses, pointing at him. "We were at your house, you were, oh, eight or ten months old? You were sitting on Owen's lap and he was tickling you and you were laughing. I looked at the two of you and all of a sudden I wanted to have Owen's baby. It was crazy."

Mallory takes Rob's hand and smiles.

"He was a _very _adorable toddler," Meredith laughs.

"I thought it over," Cristina recalls. "These feelings were very new. I started to get all warm and fuzzy when I saw Robbie and I hated that. I hated that my uterus was throbbing and I hated that I had this new longing inside of me that I couldn't control. At the same time, I was establishing my career. At least Owen and I had worked things out, we were living together by then, quite blissfully."

Her husband smiles at her, blue eyes warm with memories. JoJo watches her curiously.

"I told myself that I wanted to give _him _a child, because I was still unwilling to admit that I wanted one for myself," she muses aloud. "It was like I could just have the baby and hand it over to him to take care of. I didn't even tell him when I stopped taking the pill, I wanted to surprise him. It was only after he found out that I could admit that I was ready to take this leap of faith for both of us."

She looks at her children. Chloe is listening raptly, her eyes warm and amused. Mallory is gazing at Rob, squeezing his hand. Diego's head is tilted, as he processes what he's just heard.

"We applied ourselves to the task at hand, and I finally conceived. We decided to make it legal and got married within a month. People took bets on which of us would back out first, but it never happened." She winks at Owen.

"And when our Chloe was born, motherhood didn't come naturally," Cristina admits. "Fortunately, she has always been low-maintenance. A _bit _stubborn, but Chloe has an old soul and could handle having me as her mother."

Her firstborn daughter grins bashfully and looks down.

"I am Cristina Yang," she declares. "I don't back down from a challenge. So I worked at being a good mom because our daughter deserved the best."

Chloe looks up at her then, with a tender expression. "You succeeded."

"And it's a good thing we had the low-maintenance one first, because the next one has truly earned the name 'Hurricane'," Cristina continues, gesturing to Mallory. "Our little spitfire was so eager to be born, she came two months early and turned everything upside down."

Saucily, Mallory waves at her mother.

"It was a lot of work, juggling two kids while coming into my own as a Cardio Goddess, but we as a family made it happen." Cristina nods towards Owen, who raises his glass to her.

She turns to Diego. "We thought we were done. Then _this _young man was placed in Owen's arms one Christmas Eve. The odds were against him. He was at great risk of dying a slow death in the foster care system. But there was something very special about him. He was so special that we decided that we could make room for one more. So after I closed the holes in his heart, we brought him home to keep him for ourselves."

Her son's brilliant smile lights up the room.

Cristina clears her throat and looks at Rob. "So yes, it's your fault." She smiles. "Thank you."

"Thank you for being cute!" Mallory laughs, before kissing him.

"Just imagine how cute our kids are going to be," he says.

"But not anytime soon, right?" Cristina smirks. "I'm still too young to be a grandmother."

Chloe props her head on a hand and looks at her. "I would never have guessed you didn't want to be a mother."

"Well, if you'd turned out dumb, I might've regretted it," Cristina jokes. She notices that JoJo is looking at her rather curiously. "But I don't regret any of it. Having children made me a better surgeon, instead of diminishing my career."

"You _rule _the field of cardio-thoracic surgery," Meredith points out.

"You may not have a magic lasso or run around in a leotard," Owen grins. "But you're a _wonderful _woman."

"And a terrific surgeon." Diego grins as he pats his chest. "Thanks for the heart."

oOoOo

"You did the cooking, so let us clean up," Rob tells Mallory and Annick after supper. "Go relax."

"I'm going to check on Bernard's flight," Annick tells Mallory, pulling out her phone.

"Okay." Mallory wanders into the living room, where JoJo is seated alone, lost in thought. "Hey, how are you?"

JoJo glances up, smiling brightly. "I'm good. That was a great dinner."

"You all right?"

"I'm fine!" JoJo stands up. "Hey, uh, Lexie messaged me, a bunch of people from Seattle Grace are meeting at Joe's. I'm - going to go over there with our moms and Chloe."

"Okay." Mallory hugs her briefly. "See you at the church tomorrow."

"See you!"

oOoOo

As soon as she enters the bar, JoJo heads straight for the ladies' room, and walks over to the mirror. She looks at her reflection for a long minute, contemplating the person she's become.

Slowly, she reaches behind and releases her blonde hair from the ponytail, letting it cascade down past her shoulders. She tugs the hem of her t-shirt out of her jeans and ties a knot in it, exposing her midriff. Digging through her bag, she pulls out her make-up and starts lining her eyes.

A few minutes later, JoJo emerges from the room and saunters towards the bar. She feels the familiar rush of knowing that heads are turning and she could have anyone that she wants.

oOoOo

As the other women laugh at their table, Meredith frowns, watching JoJo flirt outrageously with the four different men gathered around her.

"She's … having a good time," Cristina cautiously observes.

"Uh huh." Meredith sighs. "And soon she'll be sitting around depressed again."

"All of the Grey women go crazy at one point," Lexie says. "She'd be abnormal if she didn't make bad choices." She glances across the bar at Alex, wondering how long he's been watching JoJo.

Chloe joins them at their small table. "Hey."

"Hey." Meredith takes in a deep breath. "Chloe, do you know what's going on with JoJo tonight?"

Chloe's eyes flicker over to the scene by the bar. "I don't know. But I'm not surprised, I knew that she couldn't stay on the straight and narrow for long."

"Chloe!" Meredith looks exasperated. "So she's being human. I ... I really wish you'd tell me what you know."

"You should be having fun," Callie tells Chloe. "Go dance with cute guys and don't worry about anyone."

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Have you noticed that all of the cute guys are standing around JoJo? Typical."

"I see some cute ones over by the pool tables," Callie tells the young woman. "Come on, let's go play. Smile, put on a show, and they'll start buying _you _drinks."

oOoOo

It's so easy to gather men around her, that JoJo finds herself disenchanted and drinking to take away her boredom. Unsteadily, she makes her escape to the ladies' room and relieves herself. When she exits the stall, Sofia is washing her hands in the small sink.

"Having a good time?" Sofia smiles, drying her hands. "I noticed you aren't lacking for company."

JoJo shrugs. "The guys? They're … a nice diversion."

"Uh huh."

JoJo tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "Were you coming onto me? After the party?"

The other woman chuckles. "I was testing the waters. Seeing you tonight, I'd say you're not so tired of men."

"But …" JoJo sighs, feeling unaccustomedly shy. "Maybe … I … _think_ I might be interested in exploring those waters. Men are boring. You're … not." She takes a tentative step forwards.

Sofia stands in front of her. "Too late. I was willing to give you a guided tour of Lady Land, but not now. I'm interested in people who _know_ what they want." With that, she leaves the bathroom.

Sighing, JoJo moves to the sink and starts washing her hands. She looks up at the mirror. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she mutters at her reflection. "Can't you do anything right?"

Mentally cursing herself, JoJo leaves the washroom and walks back to the bar. She pauses when she sees the guys are now hanging around the pool tables, some of them chatting with Chloe.

JoJo stands and observes the scene. She admits to herself that a few months ago, she would have done anything to steal the men back. But now … the thrill of the game has left her. She notices how Chloe is laughing with ease, joking with two of the men, and finds herself happy for the other woman.

Alex appears out of nowhere and hands her a glass. "I thought you could use some water."

She glances at him as she takes the drink. "Thanks."

He nods and moves closer. "About that professor ..."

"_Big_ scandal, yes." She smiles brightly. "Do you think he'll be fired?"

"No, he's got tenure, but he's taking an unpaid sabbatical next term." Alex watches her carefully. "I'm sure the Dean would be interested to know if Forzani had inappropriate relations with more than one student."

"Didn't you break up with her?"

"Yeah, but we still go out for a drink or two." He coughs. "What happened, Jo?"

"What does it matter?" She sips some water before putting the glass down. "That's the past."

"Okay. Back alley. Now." Alex grabs her arm and marches her towards the back of the bar and out into the night air. Panicked, she changes tactics.

"This is inappropriate." JoJo smirks before placing her hands on his shoulders. She leans close and whispers, "I know my mom threatened to cut your balls off if you ever touched me."

"Was it the Forzani guy or another one?" Alex tries to remove her hands. "Jo, what did he do?"

She kisses him, pressing her supple body against his. For a moment, Alex is caught up in a sudden wave of heat, before he pulls back and gently takes her face in his hands. "No. We're not doing this."

"You want me," she purrs, rubbing against him and sliding her hands to his belt. "I know you do. Don't fight it."

"What man wouldn't want you?" Alex growls, pushing her hands away. "But not like this."

JoJo's face contorts with anger and she steps back. "Why the hell not?"

"Because unlike most men, I give a shit about you," he tells her. "Yes, you're hot and you know it. But you're better than this, Jo. You deserve more."

Surprised, JoJo can only stare at him.

He touches her face again, not recognizing himself in his actions. "Don't you know that you have something within you that makes you special? That's why I'm not going to help you screw your problems away."

She scowls. "Screw _you_." Angrily, she turns and walks back towards the building. Meredith opens the door and blocks her way.

"Do you mind?" Frustrated and on the verge of tears, JoJo tries to move past her mother.

Meredith folds her arms, watching Alex like a hawk. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" JoJo protests. "Get out of my way."

"Something happened to you in Miami," Meredith notes. "Was it Alex?"

He shakes his head vigorously. "Not me. I looked out for her like you asked me to. As much as she would let me."

"It wasn't him," JoJo quietly affirms, wrapping her arms around herself and looking down.

"So there was a him?" Meredith steps forward and gently places a finger under JoJo's chin, tilting her head up. Her daughter begins to cry. "Oh, Johanna."

oOoOo

Arizona and Cristina sit and watch Chloe play pool with one of the residents.

"I feel like I'm watching her take her first steps again," Cristina observes. "I have really _hot_ daughters, did you know that?"

"That is one seriously great haircut on Chloe," Arizona muses. "Did she say which salon she went to?"

"I can ask." Cristina frowns, watching another resident approach her daughter. "No. No! Jenkins is not allowed anywhere near my girl. He's not good enough for her."

"He's married! And very interested in Cardio. I bet he just wants to scrub in with you."

"I suppose." Cristina sighs. "This is why she'll never work at Seattle Grace. She doesn't want to work in the same hospital as her parents, and I don't want people using her to get to us."

"That's why Sofia is an intern at UCLA." Arizona sighs, watching her daughter across the bar. "Kids grow up too fast."

"So true."

oOoOo

Sitting behind the wheel in his rental car, parked on the street, Alex watches JoJo in the rearview mirror. She is sitting in the backseat, finishing her confession. Meredith, seated next to her, hands her a napkin.

"Thank you," JoJo mutters to her mother, wiping her eyes.

"I'm going to kill him," Meredith says. "He took advantage of you."

"Think about what I said earlier," Alex adds. "If you talk with the Dean, she might be able to do more to keep that guy out of the school."

"What does it matter?" JoJo protests. She glances at her mother. "Sorry I'm such a screw-up."

Meredith strokes JoJo's hair. "Honey, I'm not mad at you. I wish you would've told me sooner."

Crying, JoJo leans against her mother. "I didn't want you to know how dumb I am."

"You're not dumb."

"Yes I am," she sobs. "I'm the one who can't do anything right, the one that nobody wants when they get to see the real me. The only thing I have going for me is I'm hot, and I'm going to get old and lose my looks and die alone. I'm worthless."

Alex shifts uncomfortably. "That's not true." Her eyes meet his in the mirror for a brief moment.

Meredith clears her throat uncomfortably. "Alex ..."

He takes the hint. "I'll go for a walk so you can talk privately." He leaps out of the car.

"You're my wonderful girl," Meredith croons softly. "Have I … told you about my miscarriages?"

"A little."

Meredith swallows. "One was after Rob and before you. We learned that she was a girl one week before … I was scared to try again, but my heart told me I had to. When I found out that you were a girl, I was terrified and at the same time, I ached to hold you safe in my arms. When you were born, your father and I were so happy and grateful. We have always loved you, and we always will."

Hot tears spill out as JoJo closes her eyes.

"You made our family complete. Rob maybe wasn't so thrilled before you were born, but that changed when he first saw you. It was so cute how he took on the role of big brother. He's been worried about you, we all have."

Sniffling, JoJo wipes her eyes. "Please don't tell him or Dad."

"I won't, although I think they'd be more understanding than you think. We're all imperfect and we've all made huge mistakes." Meredith gathers her courage. "I've had my rough patches, my crazy moments. I gave up on life a few times. It took therapy to help me decide what I really wanted, and want to savor life."

JoJo opens her eyes. "You want me to see a shrink?"

"It could help to talk with someone," her mother says, calmly. "Someone who can help you see your own worth. Think about it."

"Hmm."

They both look up as Alex opens the driver's door and leans in. "I brought someone to talk with Jo."

The passenger door opens, and Chloe sticks her head in. She frowns when she sees JoJo. "What's wrong?"

Meredith's phone rings. "It's Derek!" She jumps out, and Chloe takes her place in the back seat. Alex closes the driver's door, leaving them alone.

Concerned, Chloe looks at JoJo. "What happened?"

Crying again, JoJo says, "He got another girl pregnant. He married her."

"Who?" Chloe's eyes go wide. "Oh. _Oh_!"

"Uh huh."

Chloe purses her lips and tries to think of the right thing to say. "Does ... your mom know?"

JoJo nods. "She was wonderful."

"Good." Chloe looks down, wishing for guidance. "When ... how did you find out?"

"Alex. He told me when he picked me up after work."

"Okay." Chloe pauses. "So is that why you were drinking and flirting earlier?"

"Uh huh. I thought it would make me feel better," JoJo confesses. "It didn't work."

"I see."

"It's not that I want to be married to him now," the blonde woman blurts out, trying to express herself. "But …"

"You're wondering why her and not you?" Chloe guesses.

"Yes."

The black-haired woman looks at her. "I'm sorry that professor hurt you. No matter all the crap between us now, I don't like seeing you in so much pain."

Head down, JoJo sniffles.

"You know ..." Chloe licks her lips. "I've had a lot of doubts about you. About whether or not you could really change. I've been seeing a newer JoJo lately … she's been a good friend to my sister, she's been very helpful, she's been a lot less judgemental about other people … I think I could like this new JoJo."

"Thank you," JoJo whispers, before glancing up. They look at each other for a long moment. "When you go to Harvard ... I'd like to know how you're doing. I want us to stay in touch."

"We can do that."

The blonde woman wipes her nose. "You should go back in now, you were having a lot of fun."

"You sure?"

"Uh huh." JoJo smiles a little. "Go back to flirting with cute boys. I think I should go home now."

Outside, Meredith finishes her call and turns to Alex. "Derek has gone into surgery after all. Mallory is going to freak out."

"Uh huh."

She looks at the occupants of the car. "I guess you didn't know that they've been fighting this summer. I'm surprised you got Chloe to come outside."

"I knew they haven't been getting along," Alex smirks. "I just pretended I didn't."

oOoOo

Rob and Owen enter the Hunt house. "Everything is in the car," Rob tells Mallory, who is curled up on the couch next to Annick. "You're really sure I can't spend the night with you?"

She grins as she rises. "I'm sure." Grabbing his shoulders, she raises her mouth to his.

Owen sighs and checks his watch. He looks meaningfully at Diego, who is reading in a chair.

"Oh come on," the teen protests. "I'm too old for a bedtime."

"We all have a big day tomorrow. And maybe your sister wants some privacy," Owen chuckles, moving towards the stairs.

Rob and Mallory smile at each other. "I don't want to leave," he says.

"I want anticipation," Mallory reminds him, before kissing him again. "The next time you see me, I want you to think, 'Wow, I'm marrying _her_!'"

"I already think that," he confesses. "I can't _believe_ I'm marrying Hurricane Mallory, destroyer of birthday parties."

"You're not going to run away to Costa Rica, are you? You know I'll track you down if you do."

"You don't scare me. But your mom does."

Laughing, she gently pushes him towards the door. "You'd better go. Sleep well. It's our big day tomorrow." She leans in close and whispers, "We need to rest up for the honeymoon sex."

Chuckling, he opens the door. "Are you going to do that thing where you stand on your head?"

"Absolutely. So that means I need to go to bed and conserve my strength. Good night, Robbie Shepherd."

"Good night, Hurricane." He kisses her one last time, before leaving.

_The Wedding Day_

The smell of coffee makes Cristina's eyes fly open. She looks at the steaming mug on her nightstand and grins. Rolling over, she faces Owen, as he slides back into bed with her. "Good morning."

"Morning." He kisses her. "Today's the day! One of our cubs is leaving us."

Cristina touches his face. "How's Papa Bear?"

"Papa Bear is good," Owen yawns, moving closer. "I liked your speech last night. 'Bout having the kids."

"Well I worked hard on it," Cristina jokes. She closes her eyes and leans her head on his shoulder. "Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like without children?"

"Never," he mumbles, his free hand sneaking under her shirt.

"Nice way to change the subject." She stretches lazily, as his fingers circle her navel, and he moves in to kiss her neck.

Mallory opens the door and enters the room, wildly pointing at the phone in her hand. "JoJo just texted me that Derek is performing _surgery_. It's raining. Do something!"

Cristina sighs heavily as Owen hastily withdraws his hand. "Mal, the wedding is in six hours. Relax."

"Relax?" She shrieks. "We can't get married if Derek isn't there. You need to do something about that. Get him out of the OR!"

"Do you have to have one of your Hurricane moments now?" Cristina complains. "We just woke up. Go take a shower and calm the hell down."

Mallory's eyes bug out. "How can you just lie there? Don't you realize what this means to me?"

"Sit down." Owen pats the bed next to him. She obeys him, still clutching her phone. "Now breathe in, deep. Breeeeeathe." She glares at him.

He sits up and sighs. "Do you think that Derek wants to miss his son's wedding? Is that what you really believe?"

Mallory shakes her head. "No."

"We can call the hospital for an update, but I don't know what else we can do."

"What if the tumor is more invasive than expected? What about subdural hemotomas? What if he doesn't know which nerves to cut?"

Chuckling, Cristina sits up. "Are you sure you don't want to be a doctor?"

"Stop making fun of me!" Their daughter leaps to her feet and starts to pace. Owen and Cristina look at each other in exasperation.

"Today is a really big day and things are going wrong and I need some support!" Mallory complains. Owen grabs her arm and pulls her close. She leans against him.

"Not everything is going wrong," he says, stroking her hair. "We have plenty of time to get ready, and while that's happening, Derek will finish his surgery, and the sun will come out so you can have your outdoors reception. Meanwhile, Rob is at his house preparing to marry _you_. And! Chloe and JoJo are still talking to each other."

"Do you think they're going to start fighting again?" Mallory wails, her voice rising in pitch. "Why would you say that?"

"I was pointing out the positives," Owen sighs. "Mallory, none of these things are catastrophes."

"But-"

"But stop it." He hugs her tighter. "How did it feel it get engaged to Rob?"

She smiles a little. "Like it was meant to be."

"Remember that, and you'll be fine. Today, and for the rest of your life."

"And you're _our _daughter," Cristina adds. "We didn't raise any wimps or idiots. We've seen you grow and mature a lot in the last few months, and we have faith that everything is going to be okay."

"It's our wedding day," she notes. "I want everything to be perfect."

"Life isn't perfect." Owen smiles at her. "You can't control the surgery, or the weather, so why don't you make breakfast? Go into the kitchen and whip up some culinary magic. I bet once you get some butter in your hands, you'll relax."

Her face lights up. "I can have complete control over breakfast! I'll make everybody's favorites, and I'll keep myself too busy to worry about Derek's surgery, which he had _better_ finish as soon as possible. Without killing the patient. And it had better stop raining soon."

"You grew up in Seattle, you should know you can't influence the weather."

"I'm Hurricane Mallory, I get what I want." She chuckles. "Crisis over. Thank you."

"Good, now get out," Cristina tells her. "We were about to have some nookie."

"_Why_ would you tell me that?" Mallory shrieks as she jumps to her feet. "I'm glad I'm staying with the Shepherds next!"

oOoOo

Lexie yawns as she enters Meredith's kitchen. "Good morning."

"Good morning!" Her sister starts pouring a cup of coffee for her.

Blearily, Lexie looks around. "Where is everyone?"

"Derek is in surgery, Alex is meeting someone for breakfast, and the kids are playing racquetball at the club." Meredith puts the cup in front of Lexie.

"They're what?"

Meredith chuckles. "Rob needed to get out of the house and relax. Jeanne-Marie has never played so they decided to teach her."

Lexie makes a face. "I don't like her. And I'm not being an over-protective mommy."

"You are too."

"Fine, whatever." Lexie looks at her sister. "How are you holding up today?"

Meredith smiles. "I'm good. My baby boy is all grown-up now, I'm so proud of him."

"You should be." Lexie takes a sip. "It's so nice and peaceful here. I bet Owen and Cristina can't say the same."

oOoOo

The Hunt house is in chaos. Owen wanders into his bedroom, adjusting his tie. He steps around Mallory, who is crouched on the floor, digging through Cristina's jewelry case and swearing in French. She looks up at him in dismay.

"Where is the handkerchief that I picked out for you?"

"That's what I'm trying to find," he sighs.

"Well, find it. And could you trim your beard again?"

Diego enters the room, all dressed. He stands in front of Mallory for appraisal. She looks at him from head to toe. "Those aren't the shoes I told you to wear. I put them in the closet by the front door." He sighs and leaves the room.

Owen frowns. "Don't you think you're being a little-"

"It's my wedding day!" Mallory snaps. She holds up her phone. "Stupid Derek is still in his stupid surgery!"

"Okay, that's it," Owen grumbles. "I'm going outside for fresh air." He hastily goes downstairs and out the front door. The rain has stopped and the sun shines down on him. Closing his eyes, he breathes in, deeply.

"Hello!"

Owen opens his eyes and looks at the neighboring property. "Hi Paul."

"I won't ask how the wedding is going," his neighbor chuckles, slowly walking over. "I've been in your shoes."

"Any advice?"

"Stay outside until the bride is ready, and don't wrinkle your suit." The older man smiles. "Which of your girls is getting married?"

"Mallory."

"The chef or the med student?"

Owen smiles. "The chef. Chloe is the future doctor."

"Ah. How long do you have until Chloe gets married and you have to go through this again?"

Owen shakes his head, amused. "While I want her to be happy, I hope Chloe will wait a few years. This wedding has been far more costly and complicated than I expected."

"They always are," Paul winks. "I had to establish some guidelines for my daughters – I would only pay for their first weddings."

"I'll remember that."

"Now I can just relax and enjoy the weddings of my grandchildren without having to pay for any of them." His eyes light up and he pulls out his phone. "Have I ever shown you pictures of the grandkids?"

"Where's Dad?" Chloe enters the living room, still dressed in her bathrobe. "We found his handkerchief."

Diego looks out the front window. "He's on the steps, talking with Mr Farber."

"Who?"

"Our new neighbor. You know, the Farbers who bought the Goldman house last month?"

"Oh yeah, I met them once." She shrugs. "Between my job and this wedding stuff, I've been busy."

"What do you mean, 'this wedding stuff'?" Mallory protests, coming downstairs. "And get dressed, we have to go to the salon now."

Diego takes the handkerchief from Chloe. "I'll give this to Dad, you go upstairs."

"I will _gladly_ make my escape," Chloe teases her sister, before going back upstairs.

oOoOo

Meredith checks her phone and frowns. She looks up at Rob and Alex, gathered in her bedroom. "Derek hasn't messaged me yet."

"Nobody tell Mallory," Rob groans, as he looks in a mirror and adjusts his tie. "I don't have time to pacify her while I finish getting ready, she's called five times already."

"Dude, you're going to be pacifying her the rest of your life." Alex smirks. "Now is your chance to back out and escape that fate."

"Alex!" Meredith lightly smacks the back of his head, before helping her son with his tie.

Alex hears someone enter the room. He turns around and his mouth goes dry, as JoJo stands in the doorway. Her blonde hair has been pulled back into a chignon. She's wearing a black velvet halter-style gown. The rich and dark fabric sets off her pale skin and blue eyes.

"Hi," she smiles quietly.

Rob looks up and grins. "Wow. You clean up nicely, little sister."

"Thanks. You're looking handsome yourself." She gives her mother a brief hug. "I love what you're wearing."

Meredith looks down at her lavender silk outfit. "I feel dowdy next to you. Go stand over there."

"Got your speech ready?" Rob asks.

JoJo smiles and nods. "I do. You can count on me."

"I know." He leans forward and kisses her cheek. "Thanks for being my Best Woman."

"Thanks for being my Best Brother ."

Rob chuckles as his phone rings. "Excuse me, I have to calm a hurricane." He leaves the room.

JoJo turns and looks at Alex and Meredith. "Okay," she starts awkwardly. "Thanks for last night."

"Are you going to be okay?" Meredith asks.

"_Yes_," her daughter assures her. "I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me. Today is Rob and Mallory's day, I promise I can keep my drama out of it."

JoJo glances at Alex, who is openly staring at her. "Sorry I kissed you last night."

"You kissed Alex?" Meredith quickly recovers her composure. "You _were_ drunk!"

"Ha ha." Alex stands up and faces JoJo. "If you want to unload more drama, you come looking for me, okay?"

"Okay." JoJo grins at him, eyes sparkling.

Meredith's phone chimes. "Text from Dad!" She quickly reads the message. "They think they're close to finishing soon. We're to bring his suit to the church so he can get dressed there." She looks up. "I'll get his outfit together. JoJo, go into our bathroom and pack up a shaving kit in case he needs it. Alex, don't kiss my daughter."

oOoOo

In the beauty salon, Mallory anxiously reads a message while the stylist works on her hair. "Derek is almost out of surgery." She exhales and looks up at Chloe and Annick. "Okay, I'm calmer now."

"Um," Chloe says, looking at her own phone. "Diego just texted me - they drove by an accident and Mom and Dad are doing triage on the side of the road while they wait for the ambulance." She and Annick share an apprehensive glance.

"No!" Mallory throws up her hands in despair and the stylist sighs. "This sucks!"

"You mean this sucks for the poor accident victims?" Chloe asks drily.

Her sister inhales and opens her mouth … then quietly exhales. "Yes. That is what I meant." She smiles apologetically. "You're going to be a great doctor."

Annick sympathetically pats Mallory's shoulder. "We have plenty of time. And it stopped raining an hour ago."

"We'll be done here soon," Chloe adds. "We'll go to the hotel, get into our gowns, and have our pictures taken. The photographer isn't running late. By the time we're done, everyone else will be at the church. So relax."

"And not think about how Dad will probably get blood on his suit so we can't have him in the pictures?" Mallory sighs. "I can't relax." She looks at Annick. "How are you? Feeling woozy?"

"Would you stop asking that?" Her bridesmaid laughs. "Haven't you been micro-managing my meals since I landed? My diabetes will not interrupt your day. My insulin pump is fine."

Chloe's phone beeps and she reads the next message. "Good news, the ambulance is there." She reads another message. "And … they're going back to the house. Mom needs to change, someone puked on her. They're going to be late to the photo session."

"Those poor accident victims," Mallory says through gritted teeth.

oOoOo

Standing in front of the church, Meredith smiles as she looks at her phone. "Derek has just left the hospital and swears that he will be here very soon."

"I'll text Mallory," Rob says, pulling out his phone.

"And here come the Hunts." Alex points to a truck pulling into the parking lot. Diego jumps out and bounds up the steps, as the truck pulls away.

"Hey," he grins. "I'm ready for usher duty." He bumps fists with Jonah and JoJo.

They all turn at the sound of sirens.

"Another accident?" Diego sighs.

Lights flashing and sirens blaring, a police car comes flying down the street, and pulls up in front of the church. Laughing, Derek gets out and waves his thanks to the driver. "Hey!" He runs up the steps. "Told you I would be here soon."

"You just had to make a big entrance," Meredith laughs, tugging her husband's arm. "Come on, we need to get you all spiffed up."

oOoOo

In a room at the hotel, Mallory paces while Chloe examines her hair in a mirror.

"Do not touch your hair!" The bride points at her sister. "It's perfect!"

Chloe frowns at her. "Seriously, Bridezilla? I was wondering if I should get streaks or highlights."

"Streaks," Mallory says, without missing a beat. "I have some thoughts on colors you could try."

"Of course you do."

Chuckling, Mallory puts her arms around Chloe. "I'm so glad that you're here," she tells her maid of honor. "I would've been heartbroken without you by my side."

"Let's not talk about that," her sister smiles. "Today is a _happy_ day."

"But I do want to talk about it," Mallory insists, squeezing her. "I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you've done. From arranging the bachelorette party to listening to me whine about everything to rising above your problems with JoJo to be here. You've always been a role model on being awesome. I don't think I tell you enough how much I love you or how I couldn't have asked for a better sister."

"I couldn't have asked for a better sister either." Chloe affectionately touches Mallory's face. "You're a total brat and I love you and I wouldn't change a _thing _about you."

"Don't make me cry, I don't have time to redo my make-up." Mallory grins. "Hey, when you get married, you should let me arrange everything so I can pay you back for what you've done."

Chloe laughs. "Sure. Your first job is to find the groom."

"Deal."

"Okay. Bride check." Chloe steps back and turns Mallory towards the mirror. "You're gorgeous, Mal. You look like you stepped out of a magazine."

"I know." Daintily, Mallory touches the filmy lace attached to her red curls, which are cascading down her back. "I love that Grandma Hunt saved her veil for her children and grandchildren. It's perfect."

"And it's your 'something old'," Chloe notes.

"Yes! The dress is 'something new', Mom's earrings are 'something borrowed', and the garter is 'something blue'." She sighs in satisfaction. "I'm ready."

"And so are we." They turn to see their parents entering the room, accompanied by Annick and the tiny flower girl and the photographer.

"Wow," Owen smiles. "Look at my beautiful girls."

"Thank you," Mallory smiles sweetly. She looks at Cristina. "Mom? Are you okay?"

Everyone glances at Cristina, who is staring at Mallory in shock.

"Cristina?" Owen asks.

Mallory peers at Cristina's glassy eyes. "Are you … crying?"

Cristina vigorously shakes her head in denial as Owen places his hands on her shoulders. Their daughters share a smile.

"Hold still," Owen says softly, pulling out his handkerchief. He wipes away the tears spilling down Cristina's cheeks.

"I thought Dad was going to be the first one who cracked," Chloe fake-whispers to Annick.

"Aw Mom." Mallory steps forward and hugs her mother, who holds her tight.

"My little spitfire." Pulling herself together, Cristina steps back and looks at Mallory. Her strapless dress is chiffon with an empire waist. A light pink bow of chantilly lace accents the drapery of the skirt. "This dress is worth every Euro spent on it."

Then she turns to Chloe, wearing a lilac halter gown. "And look at _you_. You're gorgeous."

"Thanks Mom." Chloe hugs her. "You're _beautiful_. Love your dress."

"What, this old thing?" Cristina gestures to her burgundy gown. "Now let's get our pictures taken so we can marry off the Hurricane!"

oOoOo

In the vestibule, Diego turns to greet the next guests. In front of him is a teenaged girl, dressed in all black. Her waist-length deadlocks have been dyed a deep pink and her nose is pierced. She looks at him, from head to toe, and smiles.

He grins. "Bride or groom?"

The girl turns to the primly dressed woman behind her, who is waving at someone. "Mom, bride or groom?"

"Oh!" The woman is startled. "Well, I don't know, we could sit on either side ..."

Rolling her eyes, the girl turns back to Diego. "Which do you recommend?"

He chuckles. "I'm biased, my sister is the bride."

"You're Diego!" The woman steps forward and shakes his hand. "I worked at Seattle Grace when you were brought in. I scrubbed in on the surgery to repair your heart! You don't remember me, I'm Dr April Kepner. And this is my daughter, Jessica."

"My friends call me Jazz," the girl tells Diego, taking his arm. "Show us to the bride's side."

oOooOo

Rob paces back and forth, in the small waiting room, while his family watches with amusement.

"She's going to show up," JoJo smirks. "I've got the rings, safe and secure. Relax."

"I know, I know." He stops and sighs. "I'm … it's hitting me … we're making a _really_ big commitment to each other."

Derek chuckles. "You can't back out. Owen has spent a lot of money on today and I'd have to reimburse him."

"I'm going through with it," his son assures him. "But … what if things get really bad, what if we have an argument we can't settle?"

"You'll find a way," Meredith says. "Your father and I fight and disagree all of the time and we're still together."

Rob looks down for a moment, before sitting beside his parents. "How … how did you two ever get through the Alzheimer's trial tampering?"

"Well …" Derek gathers his thoughts. "I _was_ very, very angry."

"And I was wrong to think my actions wouldn't affect the trial," Meredith admits. "That made things more difficult … I was in denial about the consequences of my actions. Suddenly I found myself without a job or a husband. And … I was pregnant with Rob."

"So you stayed together because of me?" Rob blinks.

"Not just because of you," Derek informs him. "Although you were part of it. After all of our fertility struggles, I couldn't walk out on a pregnant wife. And while I was very angry with Meredith, I had made a huge commitment to stay with her forever, on our Post-It note. Because we _both _wanted to honor our vows, we worked things out."

"So … stay true to your commitment to Mallory, and you'll be able to handle what comes your way," Meredith smiles.

oOoOo

"Rob's ready to go," Diego walks into the room where his parents are waiting. "Where's Mallory?"

"They're coming in through the back," Cristina says. She calls out. "Mal, hurry up! It's show time!"

"Coming!" Mallory enters. Chloe and Annick help her arrange her dress behind her.

Diego's face lights up. "Wow. You look amazing."

"Aw." She motions for him to come closer. He grins and walks over. She pulls him in for a quick hug, then kisses his cheek. "Aren't you a sweetheart?"

"_Stop it_," he blushes. "You didn't get lipstick on me, did you?"

She giggles as she examines his face. "Oops, I did." Annick hands her a tissue and she wipes his face. "All better."

"Here's your bouquet." Chloe hands her an arrangement of pink, yellow, and white gerberas.

Mallory nods and squares her shoulders. "I'm ready!"

oOoOo

Rob nervously adjusts his cufflinks as he waits at the altar, with JoJo and Jonah lined up beside him.

"She'll be here soon," his sister grins. "Relax."

"I can't handle the anticipation," he smiles ruefully. "I _need_ to see her."

They look up as Diego sits down next to his grandmother and signals the minister.

"You won't have to wait much longer," JoJo whispers.

A guitarist begins to quietly strum, and the doors at the back of the church slowly open. Shyly, the flower girl enters, followed by Annick. JoJo smiles to see Chloe walk down the aisle, tall and confident.

Appearing last, Mallory steps into the church, between her parents.

"Wow." Rob says, softly. "I'm marrying _her_."

Mallory glows as she floats down the aisle. She doesn't see the admiring glances, she doesn't hear the appreciative murmurs. Her attention is on Rob, who is grinning boyishly. She barely notices as her parents guide her to stand in front of her groom.

Owen smiles and kisses her cheek. Cristina squeezes her arm. "Good luck, Hurricane," she whispers playfully. Mallory smiles sweetly at her parents, before turning her attention to Rob.

Thunderstruck, he looks at his bride. Draped in pure white, Mallory is lit from within by her joy. Silently, he thanks the heavens for placing her in his life, destined to be his soulmate and his partner in life.

"Hi Robbie," she grins.

"Hi," he whispers, his eyes warm. "Ready for our next adventure?"

"You bet."

As the minister begins to speak, Derek takes Meredith's hand. He smiles softly at his two children, standing together, supporting each other.

"We are gathered here today ..."

Composed, Cristina watches the ceremony. She notes how Rob can't take his eyes off of Mallory and mentally approves. Stealing a glance at Owen, she smiles softly to see how proud her husband is. She lightly touches his leg and he looks at her, his blue eyes blazing with joy.

Mallory takes Rob's hands and begins to speak. "On a very special New Year's Eve, you kissed my cheek. From that moment on, you became the man of my dreams. When we spent Christmas together, I was worried that you wouldn't live up to the image I'd built up of you. Instead, you showed yourself to be a much kinder, and loving, man than I could ever have dreamed of. All of my girlish dreams came true when you revealed yourself to be my soulmate. You showed me what it's truly like to love and be loved, and you accept me the way I am. I pledge to you that I will always try to be deserving of you. I will honor you and feed you and be by your side for the rest of our days."

Maintaining eye contact, he speaks sincerely. "A few months ago, I was adrift in the world, not thinking more than a few days ahead. It seems like I was searching for a part of my life that I didn't know was missing. When we reunited in Paris, you went from a little girl to the woman I am meant to be with, you were what was missing and the person I needed to anchor myself. Now, my life has purpose. Together, we'll face life's challenges and conquer them."

The minister gives the young couple a moment, before beckoning their parents to the altar. In front of them are two pillar candles with a large unity candle in the middle.

"Now, the parents will light a candle, to represent their families," the minister explains, as Owen and Derek each pick up a candle. "The candles represent the love and wisdom passed on from parent to child, and it recognizes that Rob and Mallory are entering into their sacred union as individuals." Cristina and Meredith share a quick smile before they light the candles held by their husbands.

"These candles represent their lives in this moment. They will remain lit, to symbolize that their individual identities will not be extinguished, as they unite in marriage."

As Mallory receives the lit candle from her parents, she is touched by the tears in their eyes. Rob feels surrounded by love as his parents give him their candles, and their unspoken blessings. Then the bride and groom turn around to face each other, with the unity candle beside them. Their free hands reach out and clasp each other's.

"Now they will light the unity candle to symbolize their union. May the brilliance of this light illuminate their journey together in a lasting and loving marriage."

Holding tight to each other, the bride and groom light the unity candle together. Their parents take the lit candles representing their families, and place them on the altar.

As their parents return to their seats, Chloe and JoJo share a smile, filled with goodwill. In the audience, Diego awkwardly pats his grandmother's hand, as she weeps with joy.

Rob squeezes Mallory's hands and begins to speak.

"I, Rob, take you, Mallory Helena Sun-Hi Hunt, to be my wedded wife, knowing in my heart that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love.

"On this special day, I affirm to you in the presence of God and all those in attendance my sacred promise to stay by your side as your loving husband in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.

"I further promise to love you without reservation, honor and respect you, provide for your needs as best I can, protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

Derek and Meredith share a special smile, and squeeze each others hands.

Mallory takes a deep breath and smiles at him.

"I, Mallory, take you, Robert Grayson Shepherd, to be my wedded husband. I know that you shall be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love.

"On this special day, I affirm to you in the presence of our friends and family my promise to stay by your side as your wife in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, as well as through the good times and the bad.

"I further promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

Owen looks down at his hands, entwined with Cristina's. He touches the rings adorning her left hand, remembering when he placed them there. Her fingers seek out his wedding ring, and caress it gently.

Smiling benevolently, the minister holds up two rings. "These rings mark the beginning of a long journey filled with love and laughter, tears and celebration, surprises, wonder, in a lifelong covenant. May these rings glow with the warmth and love which flow through the wearers today. "

His eyes very tender, Rob speaks again. "Mallory, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you, and the giving that will last the rest of my life." He feels lightheaded as he places the ring onto her finger, next to the sparkling diamond he'd given her in Paris. Her face lights up with joy.

Her eyes moist, Mallory speaks slowly. "Rob, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and faithfulness to you, and the giving that will last the rest of my life." Gently, she slides it onto his finger.

The minister places her hands over Rob and Mallory's. "Together they are here; so, too may they continue, each in step with the other, faithful all the way. Through life's long pilgrimage unto the journey's end. If paths are rough and winds grow cold, may they draw closer, hand in hand."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Rob grins and eagerly kisses Mallory. She flings her arms around his neck and pulls him close for a scorching kiss. The audience erupts in laughter and applause.

Amused, Owen whispers to Cristina, "That's the Hunt blood in her. And the Yang blood."

"She's our girl," Cristina laughs, as they stand.

"We did it!" Mallory grins at Rob, her arms still encircling his neck.

"Finally!" He grins before kissing her again. They turn and look at all of the people in the church, their friends and family, all standing and cheering and smiling. "Wow, look at everyone."

"We're blessed," she says, taking his hands. "We're surrounded by love."

He kisses her left hand, his lips brushing her rings. "Yes, we are."

"What a great way to start a marriage." She waves at Meredith and Derek. "Now we really are one family."

"And a happy one."

**Author's note – real life got in the way of this being published earlier – so sorry for the delay! Please stick around for the reception, which is the final chapter!**


	10. The Reception

_In the Before_

_"We have one more stop to make, then we'll go home," Derek promised Robbie, as they wound their way through the halls of Seattle Grace._

_The dark-haired boy nodded, his eyes drawn to the open doorways, and beyond to the children lying in beds._

_They turned a corner. Robbie tried hard to keep up, his four year old legs moving quickly. They came to a room filled with isolettes._

_"Now let's 'scrub you in'." Derek lifted up Robbie so that he could start washing the boy's hands and arms._

_"Why are the babies sick?" The four year old asked, looking through a window at the infants in the NICU._

_"Some of them were born with bad hearts, some have conditions, and some, like Uncle Owen and Auntie Cristina's baby, were born too soon. She couldn't breathe very well when she was born. But her lungs are getting stronger."_

_"Does she need surgery?"_

_"No," Derek smiled. "We are all thankful that she doesn't."_

_After Robbie had been thoroughly scrubbed in, Derek guided him to an isolette. Robbie smiled to see his beloved Uncle Owen, who was standing and holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. The baby was red-faced and screaming._

_"Hey!" Owen grinned down at him. "Hi Robbie! I haven't seen you in weeks!"_

_"Hi." He beamed up at Owen._

_"Ever since Mallory was born." Derek grinned, and held up the bag. "Lexie sent a Happy One Month Birthday gift."_

_"That's great!" Eyes twinkling, Owen crouched down to Robbie's level, and showed him the baby in his arms. "This is our new baby, Mallory."_

_Robbie studied the infant, who was still howling. Her face was as red as her hair. "Why's she crying?"_

_"She missed her nap," her father smiled. "She just had an eye exam and she didn't like it at all, and she's tired and needs to scream and get it out of her system, and then she'll have a nice sleep. I hope."_

_"I'll give you a break." Derek eagerly held out his arms. Owen carefully transferred Mallory over._

_"Let's see what the present is." Owen opened the bag and removed wads of tissue paper. Then he pulled out a pink fabric headband, accented with a white flower._

_"Don't cry," Derek said to Mallory. "I'm Uncle Derek and I brought Robbie to meet you. He maybe is going to marry your big sister Chloe some day."_

_Robbie scrunched up his face in disgust._

_"Cristina isn't going to like the headband," Owen said. "She says pink looks terrible on redheads. I'm not sure if that's true or if it's because she just hates pink."_

_Robbie looked at Mallory again and covered his ears with his small hands._

_Derek chuckled. "Cristina is right, gingers can't wear pink."_

_Owen arched an amused eyebrow._

_"My ex-wife has red hair," Derek reminded Owen, as he handed Mallory back. "I've got to get Robbie home."_

_"I'm glad you could stop by." Owen smiled at the boy. "Sorry Mallory wasn't in a better mood."_

_Robbie waved at them before following Derek out of the nursery._

_"So what did you think?" Derek asked Robbie, while they waited for an elevator._

_Robbie shrugged. "She's really loud."_

_"It's good that she's loud. That means her lungs are getting better." The elevator doors opened. "Ready to go home?"_

_"Ready."_

_Derek chuckled. "You know, some day she may be at your wedding."_

Soft summer breezes blow past the tents and tables set outside of one of Seattle's better hotels. The guests mingle and enjoy cocktails, as the receiving line breaks up in one of the tents.

Sighing, Rob pulls Mallory in for a quick kiss. "We know a _lot _of people," he groans. "Now can we eat?"

"Soon," she giggles, before kissing him back. "Your buddy Jason is going to introduce everyone, JoJo will give the Best Woman's speech, then we will enjoy Seattle's finest catered cuisine which you will like because I made them cook to my standards."

"You are the most wonderful bride ever," he murmurs. "Have I mentioned that?"

"I can never hear it enough." Mallory kisses him again. "And you are one hot groom."

"Jeez, save something for the honeymoon," Derek jokes, as the others gather round.

Mallory smiles mischievously. "Just think, tonight I finally get to have sex for the first time." She winks at her father.

"I may be Papa Bear, but I'm not stupid," Owen grins.

"He isn't deaf, either," Cristina quips. "Mallory, you're loud."

"Sorry Dad," the bride giggles, blushing a little.

"Good to know for when they stay with us," Meredith chuckles.

"Owen can recommend a good brand of headphones." Cristina elbows her husband.

oOoOo

As the emcee begins to speak, Jonah elbows JoJo, sitting next to him at the head table. "Nervous about your speech?"

She turns to him, wide-eyed. "Oh god, it shows."

"I was joking!" He leans closer to his cousin. "Why would you be nervous? You were a cheerleader, you were in plays ..."

"This is personal," she hisses. "Everything sounded great when I wrote it out but now I'm about to make a giant fool of myself, in a tent full of people who know that I got kicked out of pre-med!"

"You'll be fine," Jonah whispers back.

Rob coughs lightly and leans over. "Get ready ..."

JoJo breathes in deeply and sits up straight. She keeps her eyes on the emcee. When he introduces her, she slowly stands, and moves to the microphone, clutching her notes.

She glances at the audience. One face stands out – Alex Karev winks at her and grins. She grins back. Feeling a surge of confidence, she begins to speak.

"Who would have believed we'd be here? A Shepherd marrying a Hunt – no wait, my dad saw this coming a _long_ time ago."

Derek smiles smugly.

"I'm not sure anybody foresaw this happening so quickly, though," JoJo continues. "I mean, when Rob called me up and told me that he was engaged to Mallory, I thought the same thing that many of you did … 'how far along is she?'"

Mallory grins while Chloe shakes her head in disbelief.

"And the next thought was – does she know what a slacker Rob is?"

Rob chuckles.

"But here we are, at their wedding reception." JoJo turns to face the bride and groom. "I get it now. I get _them_ now. When I first saw the two of them together, as a couple, I understood that they... they belong together."

Mallory beams as Rob blinks, his eyes stinging a little.

His sister continues. "I saw two people … genuinely in love with other. What they have is … special, and real ..."

She smiles shyly. "And now that I've gotten to know Mallory a lot better, I understand why my brother was in such a hurry to marry her. They complement each other beautifully, and I am honored to have been asked to be in their wedding party."

"Aw," Mallory whispers, taking Rob's hand. He grins at his sister, who is looking more radiant than she has in months.

"So now ..." JoJo raises a glass of champagne. "Let us all drink a toast to the happy couple, on the first of many happy days together. "To Rob and Mallory!"

_"To Rob and Mallory!"_

oOoOo

Meredith takes the microphone and holds up her glass. "I'm going to propose a toast to someone who had a great influence on this day, from many years ago."

She draws in a deep breath. "Today, many people from the past and present have come together to witness the marriage of two of Seattle Grace's children." She nods at Rob and Mallory.

"On this special day, it is only right that we honor the man who brought many of us together in the first place. He was the first to welcome us to the hospital. He introduced us to the operating rooms, he let us observe from the gallery, he invited us to scrub in. He didn't just nurture us as surgeons, he taught us how to be the best doctors we could be. Sometimes he yelled at us and he could be a challenge to deal with but in the end, we always knew that he supported us."

Meredith raises her glass higher. "To Richard Webber." She looks high up above her and smiles, as Richard's name echoes throughout the tent.

oOoOo

As the staff clear away the dishes from the first course, Mallory leans close to Chloe. "Your turn!"

"Why did I agree to make a speech?" Chloe makes a face.

"Because you love me."

Chloe chuckles. "Right. Well, I won't make any jokes about you being pregnant."

Her sister shakes her head. "Come on, it was for fun. JoJo apologized to me for that a while ago."

"Is it wrong that I wanted her to choke so I won't sound stupid?"

Mallory shifts closer and speaks quietly. "I thought the new Chloe wasn't going to compare herself to JoJo so much?"

Chloe looks at her sister in surprise, before smiling ruefully. "When did you get to be so mature?"

"Someone had to be the reasonable one during all the drama." Mallory grins. "Now get up there and make the Hunts proud."

Chloe leans over and kisses her sister's cheek, before nodding to the emcee, who introduces her. Squaring her shoulders and praying for strength, she takes the microphone.

"It is my deep pleasure to be my sister's maid of honor," she begins. "Unlike many of you, I had a feeling for a long time that I would be here, at her wedding to Rob. Because I was privy to her raging crush on Rob, I knew that she saw herself as his future bride, and we all know that the Hurricane eventually gets what she wants."

Mallory smirks and takes Rob's hand.

"A few people asked if I was okay with this," Chloe continues. "Since Derek practically engraved invitations for my wedding to Rob, when I was like two months old." She winks at her godfather, who grins back.

"Of course I'm okay with this arrangement." She smiles. "Rob used to give me noogies and stick worms in my hair, there was _no way_ I was ever going to marry him!"

The crowd cracks up, no more than Rob does.

Chloe turns and faces the bride and groom. "I admire the confidence and the deep faith you have in each other, that you knew from the beginning that this was meant to be, and that you made it work. This is the love story that that Mallory dreamed of, and I'm so happy that it came true for her." She raises her glass. "To the bride."

"She's making me cry," Mallory whispers to Rob. He squeezes her hand and raises his glass. "To my bride."

oOoOo

As Rob and Mallory take the dance floor for their first dance, the guests begin to mingle or find tables.

"Hey." JoJo stands next to Lexie. "Mind if I keep you company?"

"Not at all!" Lexie moves her purse to make room at her table. "I loved your speech."

"It wasn't too dorky?" JoJo winces as she takes a seat.

"It was funny and heartfelt and not at all dorky," her aunt replies. "And you looked beautiful up there."

JoJo sighs. "Thanks. I was so nervous that I thought I was going to puke."

Lexie waves at a waiter. "One Shirley Temple please. JoJo, what're you having?"

"I'll have one of those too."

Lexie raises her eyebrows. "That's a non-alcoholic drink."

"I know," JoJo sits back. "I can be a real bitch or really stupid when I drink. I'm not going to ruin the reception by making a fool out of myself, it's bad enough that everyone knows I got kicked out of school."

"Since when do you care what other people think?" Lexie leans forward. "I know that you've had a bad year. I'm here if you want to talk. At the very least, we can be sober together."

oOoOo

The Hunts stand together and watch the happy couple dance.

"Wasn't this supposed to be a five Post-It note wedding?" Cristina gestures to the large crowd milling around them, and the fancy tents. "Owen, you really can't say 'no', can you?"

"I'm going to have to postpone my mid-life crisis," he teases. "I can't afford to buy all the sports cars that I want, not after Mallory sweet-talked me into this."

"How many cars are you going to buy?"

He chuckles. "I've narrowed my wishlist down to four."

"Get at least two so I can drive one." She gestures at the crowd. "Look at all of the guests! Did Derek invite every single neurosurgeon he trained?"

"I see a lot of your Cardio superstars," Owen replies. "Hey look, I see Ethan over there. I'm glad he could make it."

"One of many people that _you_ inspired to go into medicine." Cristina squeezes his arm.

oOoOo

"Diego, do you know a girl with pink dreadlocks?" Chloe asks.

"Huh?"

Chloe looks beyond him. "There's a girl standing off to the side and she keeps looking at you like she wants to come over."

Diego turns around and Jazz waves at him. "Oh, I met her at the church."

"Come on over!" Chloe waves back.

"Chloe!" Diego blushes as Jazz starts to approach.

"You can thank me later." Chloe winks at her brother, before turning to Jazz. "Hi, I'm Chloe."

"I'm Jazz." The teen smiles at Diego. "Nice to see someone my age here, I thought it was going to be nothing but old people."

"Yeah." He grins at her.

oOoOo

Mallory kisses Rob as the music ends. "Love you."

"I love you."

Beaming, she seeks out her father, waiting on the sidelines. She holds out her arms to Owen. "I picked your favorite song and I asked your favorite singer to take the stage." She gestures to Callie, ready at the microphone.

As the familiar guitar notes fill the air, he smiles tenderly at his daughter, and they begin to dance. Rob starts to dance with his mother.

_"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day."_

"I've got the best dad ever," Mallory says softly.

Owen pulls her a little closer. "I'm blessed with the best kids ever."  
_  
My girl  
_  
"I was there when you were born," he recalls. "You came out very still and quiet and you weren't breathing. I was terrified, I thought it was too late."

_I've got so much honey the bees envy me._

"I watched you finally move and take your first breath, and then I knew you had a chance. When I held you for the first time, I didn't want to ever let you go."

She smiles and lays her head against his chest.

_I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees._

"I followed you to the NICU. I watched them weigh you and bathe you. I was so scared that I didn't notice you had red hair until that first bath. Your mother wanted a redhead. I stayed until Arizona ordered me out."

"So I went and sat with your mother in the recovery room. I knew she'd ask about you as soon as she woke up, and she did."

_Talkin' 'bout my girl._

"That day … I never wanted to let you out of my arms. I felt you were safe as long as I could hold you."

"I'm not afraid to let you go now," he smiles, as the music ends. "You're strong, you're independent, you're a force of nature. You'll be fine."

Tearfully, Mallory kisses his cheek. "Thank you for _everything_."

Moved, Owen can only smile at her, his eyes moist.

"I will always be your girl," she vows. "I'm changing my last name to Hunt-Shepherd because I will forever be proud to be a Hunt."

"May I have a dance with Mrs Hunt-Shepherd?" They turn to see Derek grinning, arms open.

Mallory dimples and takes his hand. "I'd be delighted."

Owen smiles and walks over to the small table where Chloe and Cristina are sitting with his mother.

"You okay, Papa Bear?" Chloe smirks. "Now that one of your cubs is married off?"

"I'm good," he chuckles, taking a seat.

"Enjoy the feeling while it lasts," Cristina says. "Alexandra is looking for you – apparently there's something wrong with the cake."

Owen rubs the scar on his forehead and sighs. "Of course there is."

oOoOo

"There really isn't anything to talk about," JoJo says to Lexie. "I partied too hard and didn't study enough."

"Are you sure?" Lexie leans in. "I … kind of sense there was a man involved."

JoJo's eyes widen. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I know there is an older man who has seemed overly interested in you. And who lives in Miami."

The young woman stares at her. "... My mom told you?"

Lexie shakes her head. "I see the way that he looks at you. He was watching you last night at the bar."

JoJo frowns. "He was at the bar? He's in Seattle?"

"Uh huh." Lexie nods. "Believe me, you do not want to get involved with him. I speak from experience."

"What?" JoJo sits up straighter and looks around at the crowd. "When … when would you ever have met him?"

"When we both worked at Seattle Grace! We slept together and then started dating when Mark and I broke up and his wife left him-"

"What are you talking about?" JoJo is puzzled. "He never told me that he'd worked in Seattle or been married before?"

Lexie frowns. "How did you not know that Alex worked at Seattle Grace?"

JoJo stares at her, and then begins to laugh. "Oh my god. You thought I was involved with _Alex Karev_?!"

"You weren't?"

"_No!_" JoJo shrieks, slapping her thigh. "No, not Alex!"

"But he was watching you at the bar last night?" Lexie says, trying to make sense of the situation.

JoJo stops laughing. "Because he'd told me something … about someone else yesterday … and he knew it upset me. He's been looking out for me since I moved to Miami, Mom asked him to. He doesn't like to be called Uncle Alex or anything, but he's … been a friend to me."

"Okay..."

JoJo leans forward again. "He's never laid a finger on me. Okay, he's invited me and my friends to his house to party, or taken us out to dinner, and he's slept with a couple of them, but definitely not me. it's like there's a line around me that he won't cross."

JoJo smiles a little. "When I was being drunk and stupid last night, I kissed him, and he stopped me. You can relax."

"I am so relieved that you haven't slept with him," Lexie says. "Yet disturbed that you did kiss him."

"I told you that I do stupid things while drunk." JoJo frowns. "So - you two dated each other? I didn't know that."

"Uh huh," Lexie nods. "Seriously, you don't want to go out with him. Besides, he already dated a girl named Jo. _That_ ended badly."

JoJo thinks. "Weren't you in a relationship with Mark Sloan …?"

"I was," Lexie sighs. "And later, Jackson Avery. When I was younger, I thought with my vagina. I even hit on your dad. Before he was your dad."

JoJo gasps. "You did _what?_"

"It was after my mother's funeral and right before I started at Seattle Grace and I needed some … companionship … and there was this hot guy in a bar. Who turned out to be in a complicated relationship with my half-sister that I'd never met. Thank God he turned me down." Lexie smiles sheepishly.

"Did you date anyone else I know?" JoJo frowns. "Just how awkward is this reception for you?"

Lexie pouts. "I didn't date every guy here. Definitely not Owen – he was all broody and intense after the war and he yelled a lot and he only wanted Cristina anyways. Not Ben or Shadow Shepherd. No, I only went for the guys who ended up disappointing me. Especially my ex-husband."

Lexie looks sharply at JoJo. "So who is the guy in Miami?"

Her niece shakes her head. "Not now. No drama tonight, Lexie."

"Okay." Lexie reaches out and takes JoJo's hand. "It's okay be human, you know? It's okay to make mistakes. Grey women do that a lot."

JoJo snorts. "I still can't believe you hit on my dad."

oOoOo

Chloe sits with her parents, watching Mallory finish her dance with Derek. She looks up when someone approaches her.

"I'm determined to dance with every pretty young girl at this party and it's time to get started," Mark booms, extending his hand. "Chloe, may I have the pleasure of your company?"

Surprised, she smiles and gives Mark her hand. Cristina places a hand on Owen's arm, as they watch Mark lead their older daughter to the dance floor.

"Do _not_ go Papa Bear on Mark," Cristina tells her husband.

Owen grins as he leaps to his feet. "I want to dance with a pretty young girl too." He reaches out to his wife. "C'mon, Cristina."

oOoOo

Diego hands Jazz a glass of juice, while they watch the dancers. "So, where are you from?"

"Massachusetts. I was born in Seattle but we moved East when I was a baby. My grandmother gave my dad a hospital." She shrugs.

"Ah."

Jazz sighs. "We might as well get this over with."

"Um?" Diego frowns.

"My last name is Avery. As in, _the_ Averys. _The_ Harper Avery, _the_ Catherine Avery. My dad is _the_ Jackson Avery."

He grins. "My last name is Hunt. As in _the_ Owen Hunt. And my mom is _the_ Cristina Yang."

"Your dad mentored my mom, she raves about him and everything that he taught her."

"And my mom loves the Harper Avery award that she is the youngest recipient of. She likes to remind us of that a lot."

They look at each other and laugh.

"How'd you get your nose pierced if you're 14?" Diego asks.

She smirks. "My best friend's older sister did it. My mom Freaked. Out. She does that a lot."

"Ah." Diego grins and hands her his phone. "Can I get your contact info?"

She smiles widely and hands him her phone in return.

oOoOo

"Thank you for the dance, young lady." Mark bows to Chloe.

"You're welcome," she smiles.

A young man steps in front of her. "Hi, I'm Kyle. Want to dance?"

Chloe blinks. "Sure!"

oOoOo

Mallory stares at Alexandra. "What did you just say?"

The wedding planner sighs. "They delivered the wrong cake."

"_What?_ Where is _my_ cake?"

"In Spokane, at a birthday party."

The bride turns pale. "Someone else is eating my raspberry cream chiffon cake?"

Alexandra nods. "I am so sorry. I don't know what happened, apparently when they were offloading all of the cupcakes, they set out the birthday cake because it was in the way and then the hotel staff whisked it away and signed for it and I only just found out that it's the wrong one."

"And what are we supposed to do?" Mallory is furious. "We have to have a cake!"

"You could eat the birthday cake," the planner suggests. "It's very well done. Although I'm not sure you'd like it ..."

"Let's have a look," Mallory sighs.

oOoOo

"Thank you very much." Kyle smiles at Chloe.

"Thank you, that was nice," she smiles politely.

Another man steps in front of Kyle. "Hi, I'm Ned. Want to dance?"

She nods. "Okay."

oOoOo

"Dad!" Mallory storms up to Owen. "We have an emergency."

"What?" He looks around. "Who's hurt?"

"Not a medical emergency," she seethes. "The wrong cake was delivered."

"And that's an emergency?" Owen grins. She glares at him. "Honey, that's just a problem."

"Dad!"

"Can't you eat the other cake?" Owen sighs.

"No!" She fumes. "It's a child's birthday cake."

Owen tries to stifle a grin. "Oh."

"You need to fix this," she begins, before Owen puts up a hand.

"You're married now," he tells her. "That means you can't come running to me with every little problem."

"Huh?"

"Remember what I said earlier about you being independent?"

"Oh. You meant it." The corners of her mouth twitch.

He gently takes her by the shoulders and turns her to face Rob, talking with some guests. "That guy over there – you go to him first, now."

Mallory looks up at Owen. "I see."

Owen kisses her forehead. "I've been on hurricane watch for twenty years now. It's Rob's turn."

OooOo

"Hello!" Mark approaches Lexie and JoJo's table. "How are you ladies tonight?"

"We're good," Lexie smiles. "You're looking well. It's been … years."

"Too long," he agrees, before extending a hand to JoJo. "May I have this dance, young lady?"

"Sure!" She bounces up and walks away with Mark.

Lexie smiles bravely, watching them join the dancing. As they disappear, she stands up and heads towards her sister, who is sitting with Cristina.

"Why is Mark dancing with JoJo?" Meredith asks. Lexie shrugs as she pulls up a chair.

"He's on a quest," Cristina explains. "He's dancing with every pretty young girl at the party."

"What?" Lexie frowns. "I guess I'm officially old, if he asked JoJo to dance first."

"You can't be old, you're younger than me," Meredith says. "Maybe he thought it would be less complicated to ask JoJo. Although his hand is a little too close to her ass if you ask me."

Cristina laughs. "Look at Derek watching them dance. He's about to burst a blood vessel. It's ironic that the best neurosurgeon in Seattle is on the verge of having an aneurysm. He'll have to operate on himself."

Lexie looks away. "Who is Chloe dancing with now?"

The women look. "That's Jason, the emcee. Rob's roommate at John Hopkins," Meredith replies. "Chloe is very popular tonight."

"We all know that I prize intelligence more than being liked," Cristina says. "All in all - I'm extremely proud of my girl right now."

oOoOo

Rob looks at the cake with Mallory. "It's covered in animals."

"I know," she sighs. "I ordered a beautiful five-tiered raspberry cream chiffon cake and instead we have something that looks like Diego's dream birthday cake."

"It's really good," he offers. "I mean, I could tell right away that's a meerkat and those are gorillas."

"We can't serve this," Mallory protests. "It's stupid. And we can't just get another cake. Everything is ruined."

"What happened to our cake? Why can't we just switch them?"

"It's at an eight year old's birthday party in Spokane."

He rubs her shoulders. "At least we have the right cupcakes for the guests."

She makes a face. "And we have _primates_."

"Hmmm." Rob walks around, looking at the cake from different angles. "Hey … so this is a cake for a child ..."

"Uh huh."

"This can be ours," Rob says. "We're going to show pictures and video of the wedding to our future kids, right?"

She nods, puzzled.

"Well … our kids will look at this, with all of the zoo animals, and think that we are the coolest parents ever." He smiles hopefully.

Mallory cocks an eyebrow but says nothing.

"Can you think like a chef?" He points to it. "Look at the artistry that went into making all of the animals. What are they made out of, anyways?"

"Fondant," she replies, moving closer to examine the details.

"How did they do the shading of the grass?"

"Air brushing." Mallory sighs. "I picked this bakery because they do amazing work."

"They just suck at delivery." Rob steps behind her and rubs her shoulders. "We could send someone to the nearest supermarket for a generic cake, or we could have this amazingly creative cake."

"I want raspberries," she mutters.

Rob squeezes her shoulders. "Your birthday is coming up soon. I promise you'll have a fantastic cake with raspberries."

"And no primates?"

"No primates."

She smiles a little. "'Coolest parents ever'. You're good."

"So we can use this cake?" Rob grins.

"We can." Mallory leans against him. "At least this cake didn't come with a stripper jumping out of it."

oOoOo

Chloe flags down a waiter with a tray and snags a glass of wine.

"Look at you!" Arizona slides up alongside her, followed by Callie. "You've barely sat down!"

"Everyone keeps asking me to dance!" Chloe takes a sip. "I'm definitely keeping this haircut."

Laughing, Callie embraces her. "They're looking beyond the hair, at a beautiful young woman. You're glowing tonight."

"Two of them are residents that are trying to get me to put in a good word with my parents so they can observe one of their surgeries or even scrub in," Chloe snorts. "They see me as a golden ticket to surgery."

"Not all of them." Maternally, Callie adjusts the straps of Chloe's gown. "I'd say 99% see a beautiful young woman, just like I do."

Bashfully, Chloe starts to duck her head. Arizona grabs the young woman's chin and forces eye contact.

"This is your time to shine," Arizona tells her. "Stop looking for things to be negative about and enjoy yourself."

Chloe lowers her eyes shyly, as her dimples appear.

"Hey moms." Rodrigo steps in front of them, a teenager with Mark Sloan's smile. "_Hello_, Chloe. Long time no see."

"Hi," she smiles politely.

Callie watches her son check out Chloe and shakes her head. "Rodrigo, where's your girlfriend?"

"Dancing with Dad," he replies absently, his eyes on Chloe's curves. "So I thought I'd dance with the prettiest girl here. Chloe?"

Amused, she puts her glass down and allows Rodrigo to lead her to the dance floor.

"Just like his dad," Callie chuckles.

"He looks like he's about to grab her ass," Arizona sighs. "Just like his dad."

oOoOo

"Am I drunk?" Cristina asks Mallory, as the cake is brought out. "I see gorillas."

"It's amazing," Diego breathes. "You can't cut into it."

Mallory sighs. "There was a mix-up, this is the cake we're going with."

"I'm serious, it's too awesome to eat," her brother protests.

"I'll give the name of the bakery to Mom and Dad," Mallory says. "So you can order something like this for your birthday, and you'll probably get a beautiful and fancy wedding cake instead."

Diego looks mournfully at the cake. "Can I have a piece with the warthog then?"

oOoOo

While looking for a table, Lexie almost runs into Mark. She smiles awkwardly at him. "Great party, huh?"

"Yes," he smiles back.

"So, um ..." Lexie takes in the sight of him, speechless at how handsome Mark looks in his tuxedo.

"Dr Sloan!" Three nurses descend on Mark, diverting his attention. He smiles apologetically at Lexie as they drag him away.

"Damn it," she mutters.

OooOo

"Hello JoJo." Jason slides up to her as she leaves the main tent. "I haven't seen you dancing much tonight."

"I don't feel like it," she smiles and shrugs.

"Remember that trip to Cancun on Spring Break?" He looks her over, head to toe. "We had some good times on and off the dance floor."

"We did," JoJo acknowledges, flashing back to a week of drinking and sex.

He signals a waiter. "Why don't you and me grab a couple of drinks and … 'catch up'?"

She pauses, before shaking her head. "I'm not drinking tonight."

"What?" He snags two glasses from the waiter's tray. "Come on."

"No thanks." JoJo abruptly turns and walks away, ignoring Jason as he calls after her. She keeps walking, stopping only when she spots her grandmother.

"I can not get over how beautiful you are," Carolyn says, taking JoJo's hands. "And your speech was darling. I sort of thought Mallory was pregnant too."

JoJo smiles a little. "Thanks."

oOoOo

Chloe puts down her plate and wipes her mouth. "Great cake, Mal. With a very unusual theme."

"Ha ha." The bride smirks and points to the dance floor. "Who is that dancing with Diego? With the hair?"

"That is Jazz Avery and she's 14 and thinks everyone else here is 'old'."

"Oh my."

They both look up as Ned and Kyle approach.

"Hey Chloe," Ned smiles, as Kyle steps close.

"Wanna dance?" Kyle grins.

"I was here first," Ned protests. The men begin to argue as Chloe steps back, confused.

"I believe it's my turn," Owen says, neatly stepping in and taking her arm. "I haven't had a chance to dance with Chloe all night."

Mallory smiles, watching Owen lead Chloe to the dance floor. "You two will always lose out to Dad," she informs the disappointed men.

"I know you were handling the situation," Owen grins. "I just wanted a dance with my daughter."

Chloe smiles ruefully. "I didn't know what to do, honestly. Two guys arguing over who dances with me?"

"You'd better learn." Owen squeezes her. "I was the first man to call you beautiful, and I won't be the last."

oOoOo

JoJo slides up to Lexie and hands her another Shirley Temple. "Mom said I'm supposed to stop you from watching Mark dance."

"I don't care who he dances with," Lexie says, pointedly looking away as Mark twirls Annick on the dance floor.

"She has a boyfriend, who is dancing with Chloe at the moment." JoJo sips from her glass. "Hey, have you kissed a woman?"

"What?" Lexie shakes her head. "When I said I thought with my vagina, I wasn't thinking of another …"

"Sofia flirted with me and I liked it but I blew it," the younger woman confides. "I'm thinking of switching teams."

Lexie stares at her. "Are you serious? Women are much more complicated than men."

JoJo laughs. "Good point."

"It sounds like you've been dating the wrong guys."

"And now maybe I'll date the wrong girls," JoJo teases. "I could use a change."

Diego approaches them, Jazz following him. "Hey, Mallory is about to throw the bouquet. She sent me to find you."

JoJo makes a face. "Do I have to be there?"

"Yes. Bridezilla's orders."

"Let's go," Lexie chuckles. They make their way over to the dance floor, where the single women are congregating. JoJo stands beside Lexie, shrinking and making herself small. She glances at Chloe, who is laughing with Annick, and hopes the bouquet goes her way.

Mallory takes the mike from Jason. "Good, everybody is here. Okay ladies. Flex your arms, warm up your muscles, and try not to get knocked over by any of your opponents. Yes, the party is full of surgeons, but they've all had a drink or two and you don't want _them_ to stitch you up."

As the audience erupts with laughter and cheers, Mallory hands the microphone back. Playfully, she turns her back to the crowd and yells, "Are you ready?"

The women shout and holler, as the emcee counts down. Grinning, Mallory flings the bouquet over her shoulder.

Seeing the bouquet flying in her direction, JoJo steps back. Sofia's arm shoots out and snags it. Laughing, she holds up the flowers and steps forward.

"Yay!" Grinning, Mallory rushes over and hugs her. "Use it wisely."

"I'll try," Sofia winks.

"Well done." Rob grins at Sofia, before taking Mallory's hand. "My turn. Try to behave yourself, Hurricane."

"Never." She grins as a waiter places a chair in the middle of the dance floor. Coyly, she sits on it, Rob crouching in front of her. Her eyes sparkle as she slowly lifts the hem of her dress, stretching her right leg out.

Rob smiles patiently, as many men and a few women roar their appreciation. Laughing, Owen stands on the sidelines, while Cristina proudly cheers. Ever so slowly, Mallory exposes her leg, until she reveals the blue satin garter on her thigh.

Fixing her with a sultry look, Rob slides his fingers up her leg. His hand lightly caresses her thigh, promising much more later. With one deft move, he grabs the garter and slides it off, to much applause. Then he kisses Mallory before helping her to stand. Smirking, she lifts the garter to her lips and bestows a kiss on it, before sauntering off the dance floor.

Chuckling, Rob goes and stands beside the emcee, while the single men gather. Eyes sparkling, Mallory grabs Mark's arm and insists he join them. Similarly, Meredith and Cristina push Alex to join the men.

"Hey Dad." Rodrigo steps up beside Mark. "You should make sure the garter comes with a pre-nup."

"Ha ha." Mark straightens his tie. "If it comes anywhere near us, I'm ducking." He looks at some of the familiar faces joining him – Alex, Jonah, and a very self-conscious Diego – and sighs. "This is a young man's game."

"You're not old," his son assures him.

"Is it wrong that I don't want my son to catch the garter?" Lexie whispers to Meredith, watching Jonah wave at his girlfriend.

"Ready?" Rob closes his eyes and holds the garter out as a slingshot. Grinning, he lets go and it flies out of his hands, crossing the room and hitting Alex in the face. He catches it and then raises it above his head, putting on a show of being a good sport. Almost against his will, his eyes go to JoJo, who is smiling and applauding his prize.

"Let's get some fresh air," Owen whispers to Cristina, before guiding her behind one of the tents. Grinning, he pulls her close before kissing her.

"Mmmmm." Cristina smiles blissfully. "What was that for?"

"I've got to keep the spark alive, we haven't finished the first forty years yet." Owen kisses her again. "And I keep thinking about that Jacuzzi in our suite that we'll enjoy later …"

"Indeed we will ..."

The moment is spoiled by Callie and Arizona, coming around the corner, laughing and grabbing each other.

"Oh we don't need to see that," Cristina says loudly, grabbing Owen's hand.

"Sorry," Callie laughs.

oOoOo

"No, we're not going away on a honeymoon," Mallory patiently explains, not for the first time that night. "We'll be moving to Los Angeles soon, so we just want to spend as much time with our families until then. I mean, _after_ the wedding night." She winks.

"I understand," Bailey smiles. "You two are a cute couple, I wish you the best."

"Aw thanks." Mallory spontaneously hugs Bailey. "Thank you for delivering me."

Then she waves at Jonah as he walks by. "Hey you!"

"Hey!" He walks over, his girlfriend trailing behind. "How're you doing?"

"I'm good." She reaches out and squeezes his arm, before turning to the French girl. "How are you enjoying the party, Jeanne-Marie?"

"It is very nice." She smirks. "We certainly don't have cakes like that at French weddings."

Mallory forces a smile. "It-was-a-mistake."

oOoOo

JoJo sees Alex sitting by himself at a table, nursing a bottle of beer. The garter lies on the table in front of him. She quietly approaches him. "May I join you?"

He shrugs and pulls out a chair for her. "If you want."

"I would like that." She sits down and smooths her dress. "You look lonely."

"You don't have to keep me company."

She smiles slightly. "I want you to keep me company, to be honest."

Alex puts down his beer. "Why?"

"Well … you are still my friend, right?" She glances at him. "I haven't screwed that up too?"

"We're good." He checks her for signs of distress or drunkenness. "Where have you been?"

She smirks. "I escorted my grandmother to her room, and we had a cup of tea before she kicked me out."

"Tea with your granny?"

JoJo pokes him. "My grandmother is cool." Then she shrugs. "I meant it when I said I didn't want to bring any drama to the wedding. So I'm not getting drunk and stupid tonight. I'm sitting with you because I know you won't pressure me to have a few drinks and join everyone else on the dance floor."

Surprised, Alex regards JoJo for a few moments, before nodding.

oOoOo

Lexie nods to April, as she exits the dance floor. "Hi April!"

"Hi!" April smooths her dress. "How are you?"

"I'm enjoying myself."

"Me too, this is a great party."

"Yes, you looked like you were having fun." Lexie sips some water.

April does a double-take. "Are you mad that I was dancing with Mark?"

Lexie shakes her head.

"I did it because he asked my daughter to dance," April confides. "Jessica is only 14!"

"April!" Meredith smiles as she joins them. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Me too. Jackson sends his regrets."

Meredith tilts her head. "Where is he, by the way? How dare he miss my son's wedding?"

April's face softens. "He's in China, filling in for a sick colleague. He's repairing cleft palates pro bono so that orphans can be adopted. Keeping the Avery name relevant."

"That's no excuse," Meredith jokes. "Today is a momentous occasion. The Grey and Shepherd and Yang and Hunt dynasties collided. I am going to have very brilliant and beautiful grandchildren."

oOoOo

Rob works his way around the room, greeting friends and family, happily accepting congratulations. During a break, he spots a drunken guest complaining to a bartender, who looks trapped in a bad conversation.

Turning, Rob looks around the area until he spots Mallory speaking with Annick and Bernard. Quickly, he rushes over and grabs his bride, kissing her quite fervently. The other couple quickly depart, amused.

"Wow," Mallory gasps, when they break apart for air. "What was that for?"

"I'm not a bartender," Rob says. "Thank you."

"I know you're not a bartender," she replies, puzzled. "Not any more."

"Because of you!" Rob kisses her again. "I – I just got reminded, all over again, how you turned my life upside down and things changed for the better. Because you know what, being a bartender is not always fun and I would've been miserable if that's all I ever did with my life. Now I'm going to be a doctor. Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Mallory's brown eyes sparkle. "Remember this feeling when we can finally leave the reception and go to our suite."

"And you get to have sex 'for the first time'," he teases. "Loud sex."

"Loud, first time as a married woman sex," Mallory sighs happily, before kissing him. "Okay, here come all of your Shepherd aunts."

"Robbie! Mallory!" The women converge, brandishing cameras and hugs. "We want pictures with you!"

oOoOo

Off to the side, Alex and JoJo quietly converse while watching the action.

"Nice speech by the way," he says, making her chuckle.

"Thanks." JoJo looks at him, noting the abundance of grey in his close-cropped hair, the weariness in his eyes. "Are you happy?"

"What?" Alex frowns. "Why are you asking?"

"You seem distracted."

"I'm okay. You need more water or anything?" He signals a waiter.

"I'm drinking Shirley Temples tonight." JoJo tilts her head. "How come you're here alone? At the wedding?"

"I do better by myself," he snorts, before turning to the waiter. "Can you bring over a Shirley Temple and an Arnold Palmer over for the lady and myself?"

JoJo raises her eyebrows. "What's an Arnold Palmer?"

"Non-alcoholic drink. I'm going to not drink booze with you."

"You don't have to." She pauses. "Do you … want me to leave? You said you do better by yourself ..."

Alex pauses. "It's okay. You're good company. And I didn't bring a date to the wedding because I didn't feel like it."

"How so?"

He rubs his head. "Why start a relationship just so I ask someone to an out of state wedding? Besides, I attract crazy women. They always want more of me than I can give. Except my wife. She didn't want what I was offering."

JoJo nods. "I forgot that you were married once. My parents told me how they gave you their wedding. Your wife was really sick."

"Uh huh." Alex pauses while the waiter brings them their drinks. "Izzie was a fellow resident. I started with her and your mom and Cristina. And George."

"I've heard of George," she says. "Mom and Owen have talked about him, they really liked him."

"Good guy. Died a hero."

She leans forward. "Tell me about Izzie."

"I don't want to bring my drama today either," he says. "Just – don't ever marry someone because you think they're dying."

"Okay ..."

"Yeah." Alex takes another drink. "Long story short - I don't need a woman who runs at the first sign of trouble."

"Who does?" JoJo pauses. "Didn't … she die?"

He nods. "The cancer returned. She died not long after Mallory was born. I remember that, I flew in for the funeral and that's when I met Mallory, she was in the NICU. Cristina made me examine her and go over her treatment plan to make sure she was getting the best care."

"Aw. And now you're at her wedding. And you caught her garter."

Alex smirks. "You know, the first time we met, you peed on me."

She laughs. "No way."

"Yeah, you were just a baby." He looks at her. Relaxed and lit by the candle on the table, JoJo has never looked more beautiful to him. "I know you're not feeling so great about yourself but you're not a horrible person. You've made mistakes. What you are is young and not that worldly."

"Worldly?" JoJo looks confused. "I travel."

"What I mean is that you're a _bit_ spoiled," he tells her. "Your grandmother was kind of a bitch, so your mom … maybe sheltered you more than she meant to. It's tough, becoming an adult and discovering that the real world is hard and cold. And people can be cruel and stupid. Not everything gets handed to you on a silver platter."

"That is so true." She sighs. "I thought college would be easy. I thought I could party all the time and not have to study that much. Look at the surgeons in my family. I'm supposed to be good at medicine by birthright."

oOoOo

"There you are." Cristina approaches Owen as he walks back to the tents. "Where were you?"

"Walking my mom to her room." He kisses her. "Did you miss me?"

"I've spent like an hour listening to residents tell me how awesome I am and how much they want to scrub in with me. I need a break."

"Let's enjoy the night air." He takes her hand as they begin to stroll. "I'm so grateful that one of our parents could be here, to see Mallory get married."

"Your mom didn't get too tired, did she?"

"Nope, she just wanted to go to bed." They pause and watch the dancing from afar.

"I'm really proud of Mallory," Owen muses. "She's grown up so much in the last couple of years."

"Yet she is still our Hurricane." They smile, watching Mallory flitter around, charming guests. "And she got clear weather for her reception, just like she wanted. I tell you, she has magical weather powers."

Owen's eyes go to the dance floor, where their older daughter is laughing at something her partner has said.

"And now we need to find someone deserving of Chloe," he says.

Cristina scoffs. "This is the 21st century, there'll be nothing wrong with her if she never gets married."

"True." Owen squeezes Cristina's hand. "But her life will be richer if she does. I want all of our children to have big lives."

She smirks before pulling him in for a kiss, her hand lingering on his neck. "I don't think anyone would miss us if we were to slip away and _enrich_ each other ..."

"There you are!" They both turn to see April storming towards them, with Jazz and Diego following her. Diego is blushing while Jazz scowls.

"Your son!" April gasps. "I found your son making out with Jessica off by the pool!"

"Wow!" Cristina says. "Jessica, you're so grown up now!"

"My name is Jazz now," the girl mutters.

Owen coughs and covers his smile with a hand. "Diego?"

His son rolls his eyes. "We were _just_ kissing."

"That's _all_ we were going to do," Jazz adds. "Jeez, Mom."

"We'll take care of this," Cristina tells April, as she firmly takes Diego by the hand. Quickly, she leads him and Owen away and down a corridor, out of earshot. Only then does she begin to laugh.

"You're not mad?" Diego smiles in relief.

"I'm glad to know that you were just kissing," Owen chuckles, clapping him on the shoulder. "Okay, maybe you're moving a little fast but-"

"But lots of people are making out," his son finishes. "Like you two."

Cristina cackles and pokes her husband in the ribs. "Go on, lecture him about kissing a girl he just met. I want to hear that."

Owen grins widely. "Yeah, he's definitely a Hunt."

oOoOo

From a distance, Derek sees JoJo and Alex sitting together and he stops in his tracks. He observes that for the first time in months, JoJo looks happy and relaxed, free from whatever has been haunting her. His eyes go to Alex, who looks years younger. Alex is sitting close to his daughter, very close...

Stunned, Derek continues to watch. Something about this scene seems so natural … but the father inside of him feels that something is very wrong.

Alex swallows the remains of his drink. "Kinesiology is a form of medicine, when you think about it."

"Yeah." JoJo smiles. "I think Owen is right, I'd do well working one-on-one with people, hands on. I like it at work when I help women learn that they can work out, that it isn't so hard to learn new things and see some progress in a short amount of time. And most of the time, I can remember that I'm capable and I have a brain. Until I remember Professor Jerkface."

"I'm sorry I told you about Professor Jerkface," he tells her. "I wouldn't have, if I had known. But if I'd known you were seeing him, I would've been harassing you to break it off. I might've gone so far as to tell your parents."

"I know." She shrugs. "That's why I didn't tell anyone, not even Chloe. Especially Chloe. She would have lectured me and I knew it."

He leans forward. "What is going on between you two?"

"I was a terrible friend," she tells him, candidly. "I thought she'd be my best friend for life … I took that for granted. And now I'm working on being a better friend, as much as she'll let me. Mallory keeps telling me to be patient."

"Now you and the Hurricane, becoming friends …" Alex chuckles. "Didn't see that one coming."

JoJo grins. "Neither did I. But I'm glad we are. I've really gotten to know her, and I like her, very much."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Alex smiles at her. "You're going to be okay, you know that? After everything you've been through lately … you're making some good choices tonight. You're turning into a smart woman."

She regards him, curiously. "Thanks."

"Hello!" They both look up to see Derek walking towards them. He pulls up a chair. "Alex, we really haven't had a chance to catch up."

Alex nods, immediately reading Derek's body language and his underlying paternal motives. "No time like the present."

"You really freaked Mallory out, performing surgery until the last minute," JoJo lightly chastises Derek. "There would've been a category five hurricane if you hadn't shown up."

"Alls well that ends well," Derek grins. "Now Alex, tell me about Miami."

As Alex starts talking, JoJo sits back and watches. She looks again at Alex, and reflects that if she were to date a silver fox, he'd … she shakes her head. She would always be Meredith's daughter to him, and off-limits.

oOoOo

As the party starts to wind down, Cristina and Meredith clink glasses. "To the happy couple!" They each down a shot and grimace at the hot burning liquid.

"I'm starting to think we're getting too old for this," Meredith confesses.

"Maybe you are, but I'm not." Cristina sways a little.

"Hey Mom." JoJo walks over. "How's it going?"

"Good." Meredith pulls her in for a quick hug.

Cristina frowns. "JoJo, I've barely seen you all night. Normally you own the dance floor."

The young woman shrugs. "I was talking with Alex and then Dad. And now I'm going to the ladies room. Excuse me." She walks away.

Cristina turns and watches JoJo. "She's sober. What's going on?"

"She had a bad day yesterday," Meredith carefully acknowledges. "She wanted today to be drama-free so I expect that's why she stayed off the dance floor. And the booze."

"You know!" Cristina quickly deduces. "You know what Mallory and Chloe know! What do you know?"

Meredith shakes her head. "What I know has nothing to do with your daughters."

"Swear to me that you don't know something about my girls that I don't know and should know."

Meredith takes Cristina's hands. "I swear to you that it's JoJo's secret and her secret only. She promised to keep her drama from affecting Rob and Mallory's day and she has. Back off, Mama Bear."

"Okay." Cristina nods.

"She kissed Alex," Meredith blurts out. "JoJo was looking to distract herself last night and she came on to Alex and he stopped her."

"Alex?" Cristina tilts her head. "Well, she could do worse."

"Cristina! It's Alex. He has a terrible track record with women."

"But he stopped JoJo." Cristina points out.

oOoOo

As JoJo washes her hands, Chloe joins her at the sinks. "Hey."

"Hey." Chloe smiles at JoJo. "How are you?"

"I'm good, how about you?"

"My shoes are killing me," Chloe groans. "I did not expect to be on my feet all night."

JoJo glances at her. "Want me to massage your feet?" She shyly offers.

"Yes!" Chloe wipes her hands. "Let's go."

They find a table outside and sit down. Without hesitation, Chloe kicks off her shoes and lifts a foot. "I have missed your massages,"

JoJo smiles softly as she begins to rub Chloe's foot. "You looked like you were having a good time tonight. I hope you were."

"Yeah." Chloe smiles. "I had a lot of fun." She glances at the other woman. "How about you? I barely saw you all night."

"I was around," JoJo replies. "Chatting with people - I had tea with my grandmother, and Shirley Temples with Alex ."

Chloe looks up. "Oh?"

"Yeah. He's a really nice guy." JoJo smiles, massaging the special spots she knows Chloe likes.

Chloe chuckles. "Mama Bear might be more open than Papa Bear, but she said Alex is #2 on the list of Men I'm Not Allowed To Date."

"Who is #1? Mark?"

"Yes!" The two women smile at each other.

JoJo looks at Chloe. "Enough about me. Meet anyone special on the dance floor?"

"There are a lot of nice guys here," Chloe grins. "Did a bolt of lightning come down from the sky and hit someone in particular? No. But I had fun."

Chloe pauses. "You know … when you did my make-up for New Year's Eve?"

JoJo looks up. "Are we going to talk about Mickey?"

"No." Now it's Chloe's turn to be shy. "Could you show me how to do my eyes like that?"

"Of course."

They both look up as Jonah collapses in the chair next to JoJo.

"Where's your girlfriend?" JoJo smirks at her cousin.

"Dancing with Mark Sloan," he sighs. "She's been dancing with a lot of guys who aren't me."

"Aw. Dump her, you can do better." She squeezes Jonah's shoulder.

"Hey." Diego and Jazz join them, sitting next to Chloe. "Look at you, Miss Popular."

"I am not," Chloe insists.

"You're sitting?" Mallory appears in front of them, hands on hips. "What is wrong with all of you?"

"It's almost 2 am," Jonah groans.

"It is?" She smiles and pulls up a chair. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes," they assure her.

The music slows down as Rob ambles up, smiling. He places his hands on Mallory's shoulders. "It's getting late, hon. It's the last dance before the band calls it a night."

"Let's go!" She jumps up and follows him. Smiling, Diego leads Jazz to join them.

"Come on, Jonah." Chloe stands up and puts her shoes back on. "Let's go show Jeanne-Marie what she's missing." Chuckling, he follows her to the dance floor.

JoJo sighs and sits back.

"JoJo?" She looks up to see Alex standing beside her, hand extended. "Join me?"

"I'd love to." She smiles, taking his hand.

Sighing, Lexie grabs her purse and starts walking towards the hotel, fleeing the sight of happy couples. As she turns, she steps on Mark Sloan's feet.

"I'm sorry," Lexie grimaces.

"It's okay." Mark extends a hand to her. "May I have this dance?"

"Oh, did you run out of pretty young girls?" Lexie snaps. "I know what you've been doing all night."

He smiles gently at her, hand still extended. "Lexie … I saved the best for last."

oOoOo

"Now what is the emergency?" Owen asks as Cristina leads him into the hotel.

"We're going to our suite and jumping into that hot tub, before someone else interrupts us," she smirks, heading straight for the elevators.

"Good plan."

oOoOo

On the dance floor, Meredith frowns while in Derek's arms. "Why is Lexie dancing with Mark?"

"Why is JoJo dancing with Alex?" Derek replies. "I don't like how close they are."

"And I thought Owen was Papa Bear."

oOoOo

After a long series of goodbyes, the newlyweds finally leave the reception. Holding hands, Rob and Mallory exit the elevator and stroll down the hallway to their honeymoon suite. Smiling, he digs out the key card, opens the door and sticks his foot in. Then he bends over and puts his arms around her, picking her up.

"My big strong husband," she giggles, throwing her arms around his neck.

"My teeny tiny bride," he chuckles, straightening up before he carries her over the threshold of the door. Purposefully, he strides over to the bed and gently places her on it. His hands caress her face. "My beautiful bride."

She pulls him down and kisses him. Without breaking contact, he manages to lie down on top of her without crushing her.

Mallory looks up at him and grins. "Is now a bad time to tell you that you can't divorce me? I won't let you."

"Bossy." He kisses her. "I got news for you. We're going to disagree and we're going to have fights, but I will never leave you. You won't be able to get rid of me."

"Good." She giggles. "Hey Robbie, I have a secret."

"What's that?"

"I've had a crush on you since I was twelve years old." Laughing, she kisses him again.

"I have a secret too," Rob whispers.

"Oh, what?"

He kisses her. "We're going to live happily ever after."

"Then let's get started."

_Author's note: thank you __**so **__much for sticking with this story and my writing. The show has sometimes made it difficult to want to write, but now I'm determined to share all of the Parentverse stories I have in me. Special thanks to __**lovemesomeowen**__ for the encouragement and bad ass beta reading_.


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